Titanic Gateway
by Shrapnel893
Summary: "The world is your enemy" was a saying Annie Leonhart always lived by, though when she meets a very determined boy who just won't give in will she come to say "That isn't so"? Will humanity ever learn the origin of the Titans? Will these reluctant heroes survive in a world that resents and curses them to their crimson strings of fate, or will those strings be severed forever?
1. Scrapes of Humanity

A/N: Before reading, I just want everyone to know that until a certain point the story will closely follow the manga's events and be somewhat slow going along. Relationships between characters will be emphasized and elaborated, meaning friendships and rivalries, not just romances. Have fun reading and any feedback is appreciated (meaning, review and give constructive criticism/your thoughts). I can also discuss about anything and everything involving Attack on Titan, if anyone wants to they can PM me; I've delved into the world a ton to get a firm grasp on what I'm writing.

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**Chapter One: Scrapes Of Humanity**

Squad Leader Hange Zoe sat on a bench overlooking one of the many dying gardens of the Scouting Legion Headquarters. Neglect was something that came whether one wanted it to or not, and flowers were no exception. Nobody bothered to keep the aesthetics of the once decrepit castle alive, Commander Erwin only having prioritized the maintaining of the stones and pathways and nothing else. Hange was reading so vigorously that she didn't even look up when Captain Ines sat beside her, who glanced briefly at what she was reading. It didn't interest her as much as it should have.

"Have you taken a good look at this journal?" Hange asked, keeping a hand on the page as she closed it to turn her attention to the other woman. "It's quite interesting, with this here we've learned more about the Titans than in any previous engagements! Here, take a look at this section," she held the journal up, one finger resting on the start of one of its pages. The style in which the letters were written suggested that the writer, and presumably, the owner, had been female. "Read this paragraph."

Ines didn't want to say no to the overly enthusiastic woman and took the journal from her, starting where she'd instructed. The first line read: _the expedition had been smooth up until they started speaking, the Titans. It was a sound unlike anything I've ever heard, the sound of incomprehensible growls and groans. I'd thought nothing of it at the time, but now I'm having my doubts. After they finished speaking, all hell __had__ broke__n__ loose. The lines had crumbled and it was only myself and a handful of my men from the Left Wing who managed to__-_ She'd tried scrabbling the rest down hastily, the next few lines moist and unreadable from a stain except for the words _run_ and _escape_. The next readable line was near the bottom, where she'd written: _dead, all of them are dead now_. Ines flipped to the next page: _I'll rewrite what I've written in the previous pages here, in case something happened to those_. The first sentence started off, and everything from the first page had been recounted, in short, by the writer, taking a total of two pages of recap. She'd explained that she was in charge of the Left Wing during the 34th Expedition, that they'd been overrun, she and a handful escaping on horseback, back to the Wall. Their flight had been unsuccessful, all of them but her being killed along with their horses. The only reason she'd been able to survive was thanks to a stray horse that had collapsed on top of her, but in the process it had also damaged her 3-Dimensional Maneuver Gear, forcing her to abandon it. At the time, she'd said she believed to be heading northward, trying to find her way back to town, which Ines assumed to be Trost, given where Hange had first found it lying out in the field. As she continued reading, the writer, who said her name was Ilse Langner, seemed to be scribbling out of fear and desperation now, running for her life. _Ever since I joined the Scouting Legion I was prepared for this kind of situation, to face it. I'm a proud member of the Scouting Legion, the last hope of humanity, and I thought that I wasn't afraid to die, but now I... even if I give up, I won't go down without a fight. Even without my weapons, I can still fight! These notes-_ a long drawn out wavy scribble that went off the page, smeared by something that'd once been wet. The next lines were shaky and very light, as if her hand was trembling uncontrollably and it took all she had just to write the letters without them appearing as gibberish. _I've... encountered one of them. Six Meter Class, didn't kill me right away... a Deviant? _More wet spots._ My last moments are here, this is it. And all I did in life was act selfish, not even doing anything for the people who raised me. Pathetic, how it's all going to end..._ There were no more wet spots, but the words continued: _It's... talking_. Ilse wrote, her writing becoming more solid and defined, less shaky as she seemed to calm down. _A Titan's talking, unbelievable. It uttered __meaningful__ words, not just incomprehensible grunts and groans like the others. I'm sure I heard it just say "Ymir's people", "Lord Ymir", and "Great". __Its expression changed too and it__'__s bowing down to me, a show of respect. I can't believe it..._ It appears that she'd wiped a tear from her cheek and accidentally smeared it on the page in her fascination, making the next few words unreadable. The next readable line started at _human history _as Ilse went on to write about her attempts at communication, but it seemed by then that the Titan became unresponsive, reverting back to unintelligible grunts and groans like she'd stated the other Titans making before. She's stopped writing halfway down the page, and as Ines flipped through the rest of the journal, all subsequent pages were also blank.

Hange noticed the look on Ines's face, clearing her throat with a cough. "That's where it ends. I found it in a clearing, next to a giant forest, along with a torn 34th Expedition armband. I also took the liberty of picking a flower that had been growing next to it and," she dug into her breast-pocket as Ines watched, having already closed Ilse Langner's journal. The Squad Leader presented a flower with a yellowish center and white petals, twirling it playfully. "I know how much collecting these mean to you." She said, smiling as she handed it to her.

Ines cupped the flower in her hand and took out a book of her own, which had petals and stems poking out of its pages, containing no words whatsoever. She carefully opened it to a new page and placed the flower in the center, then closing the book and setting it down on the table. Turning the journal over in her hands once, she then handed it back to Hange. "This is the journal you found while out with Captain Levi, that right?"

"That's right," Hange nodded, placing the journal into her now empty breast-pocket for safe keeping. "It's really something, the information in here. It's really valuable!" She shot up out of her seat, hands clenched out in front of herself. "Don't you see?! This just raises more questions! Questions that I want answers to! With this, we have at least one of the questions already answered: they're intelligent! Not just mindless killing machines!"

Ines blinked and scooted back a smidge. "But it cost the woman her life," she said bluntly, taking some the Squad Leader's enthusiasm away.

"I know, which is why we mustn't let her sacrifice go in vain! Gather your squad, Ines, we have more research to do!"

Sighing, Ines scratched the back of her head and stared over at the garden for the first time, thinking of all the death that floated almost unnoticed around her. _How many more are going die for humanity's sake_, she thought, blocking out Hange's babbling, _for even something as insignificant as a few words on paper?_

/-.-.-.-\

Peering out the window down upon Ines and her squad as they were saddling their horses along with Hange, Petra rapped her fingers on the glass. Secretly, she wanted to go with them, to explore more of the area that humanity had lost in the year since Wall Maria had fallen. Her priorities, though, lied with Captain Levi and the Special Operations Squad – she couldn't just leave her post. Today, she and her squad were in charge of organizing the lines of supplies coming into Headquarters for the next week, since Mike, who was normally in charge of that, was leaving with Captain Ines and Hange as well. Commander Erwin had trusted Captain Levi and the squad with taking over his tasks for the next couple weeks while he was gone, and she didn't want to mess up. Ines had done so much to get her the position she was in now and she wasn't about to left all her sacrifice and effort go to waste.

The forlorn expression of her face making him uncomfortable, Eld Jinn, the Captain's second in command, came beside her to watch Captain Ines and the Special Investigation Squad himself. "Do you want to go with them?" he asked, his voice soft.

"I do, I owe so much of where I am now to her." Petra replied, moving away from the window alongside him. "But I have plenty of time, right?" She said, taking one last glance at the window and smiling, before going to join the others at the table.

/-.-.-.-\

Riding alongside her Captain, Zena Bartosz took the opportunity to start a conversation. "Say, Captain, you have a little brother right?"

Ines responded without taking her eyes off the path. "Two of them, one's dead and the other is nearly the right age to enter the military by now, what of it?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to know. I have a little brother too, though he's nowhere near old enough to enter the-"

"Zena."

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Focus on the mission and continue following Squad Leader Hange, this is not the time for small talk."

"Right," Zena obeyed, eyes downcast, "I'll... focus on the task at hand..."

As her subordinate lapsed into silence beside her, Ines thought of her youngest brother, the one who was still alive. _Almost __o__ld enough to be a part of the military already, huh_? She gripped her reins tightly, looking down at them briefly. _I just hope he doesn't end up like Lex_. Her head high now, she ordered her squad to loosen their formation as they quickened their pace, starting their mission of collecting more information of the Titans for what seemed to be the thousandth time since last year. On her watch, there wouldn't have to be anymore deaths over insignificant scrapes of paper, she was going to make sure of that from now on.

/-.-.-.-\

Friedrich Brandt stared absentmindedly at the wooden planks that were nailed together, one on top of the other, forming one of the barrack walls and drew his blanket closer to himself in order to keep warm. Cold air was blowing through the cracks between the planks. He hadn't expected the nights in the training camp to be colder than back in his hometown of Trost and laughed vainly at himself – this was nothing, he could handle a few chills. Wiping his nose and holding back a sneeze, moving the blanket even closer; yeah, he could deal with it. _No problem_. "What's the matter Fritz, a bit of cold weather too much for you?" he asked himself. "Well, this is _nothing_!" Rolling over in his cot, he landed on the floor with a thud. Wincing, he rubbed an ankle, the beds were smaller than his back home and he wasn't used to them either.

"What the hell are you doing?" someone groaned in front of him. "I'm trying to sleep you _dumbass_." Jean Kirschstein grumbled, lying in his own bunk across from Fritz's. Scratching his head and looking over, he gave Fritz a look of disdain. "This," he proceeded to prop himself up on one arm, "isn't the time to be moving around. Do you _realize_ what time it is?" He pointed to one of the windows inside the barracks and waited until Fritz looked at it. "Yeah, it's dark outside. You know what that means? It means: '_time to go to fucking sleep_'. If Shardis finds out you're up, you'll get all of us in trouble."

"Leave him be." Marco Bott, in the cot above Jean, interjected. "He's not doing any harm. It's not like he's going to personally go to the Chief Instructor and tell him '_I'm awake_', right Fritz?"

Fritz nodded and continued to rub his ankle; _damn, he really landed __the__ wrong way._ His ankle was bruised and it stung everytime he tried applying pressure to it. "Yeah, that's right. I'm not so stupid that I'd get caught." He had often been called "the dullest color in the garden" by the rest of his family and had to admit that sometimes they were right. Though, he knew for a fact that he wasn't stupid enough to do something like _that_. Who did they take him for, _Connie Springer_? "I'm just going out for some fresh air."

Marco leaned over the side of his cot. "See Jean? I told you!"

"Whatever." Jean rolled over and pulled his blanket over his head. "Just don't wake me up again."

"You can count on me!" Fritz replied, saluting by clenching a fist over his heart in the standard military salute.

"And quit doing that, it's annoying."

Fritz didn't pay the other boy anymore attention and winced as he limped over to the door. Opening it slowly so as to not make any sounds, easing out to the world outside, sighing to himself, he went to the wooden railing that ran horizontally in front of the barracks and stopped as soon as it reached the stairs. It's only been a few weeks and he still wasn't used to the new life he was in. It irritated him somewhat and his thoughts went back to his family, the day he decided to leave his mother and little sister behind.

He'd made her cry, at the time feeling ashamed that he'd done so. After the death of his father and his sister's joining of the military, his mother had been trying her hardest to keep composed, her family having grown smaller in the blink of an eye. Then, the second oldest son, Lex, had went off to follow in their two footsteps, only to die during a training accident before he even really began. That had been the last straw for his mother. She'd forbidden him to join the military like his father and two older siblings until last year, when he'd turned thirteen years of age. Against her wishes, he'd run away from home to join of his own accord. That was what had made her mother cry – though she had accepted the fact that he could make his own decisions, the realization caused her pain. He'd promised to come back alive and that he'd find Ines somehow, since she hadn't checked in that year like she usually did. It had worried him as much as it had worried her. Thus, his mother was now forced to take care of Sofie on her own, waiting for any news.

Sighing, he folded his arms on the railing, blinking once. He blinked again as he spotted a peculiar trainee wander past. She was walking at a slow pace, and by her posture seemed to be weary of her surroundings. He tried looking at her face but it was obscured by her blonde hair – the only thing he was able to see was her nose and that just made him all the more curious. His gawking taking up all of his attention, he didn't notice the shadow creeping up behind him until it was too late; bolting upright in surprise as a hand patted him on the back.

"What you starin' at?" a voice asked. Fritz turned and saw that it was Connie Springer, who he happened to be bunked with. The two of them had become friends early on and at that moment Fritz wondered if it was because their thinking processes were both slower than average. _It would explain a few things, if nothing else._

"Nothing in particular," he replied, but it was obvious he was still staring at the girl.

The shaved headed boy followed his friend's gaze, and upon spotting what had caught his eye, immediately let out a tiny gasp in surprise. "You're looking at _her_?" he asked, his tiny gasp turning into a chuckle. The chuckling turned into laughter. He slapped Fritz on the back again, causing the other boy to wince and scowl immediately after.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, slightly annoyed.

Connie took a moment to catch his breath. "Oh nothin', just the fact that of all the people here you pick _her_."

"Who is she?"

"A real killjoy, that's who," he responded, taking another look at her. "Her name is Annie." He turned back to Fritz, a wide smile on his face. "Boy, you sure know how to pick 'em, huh?" he exclaimed, slapping him on the back for a third time.

"Quit doing that!" Fritz retorted, rubbing the sore spot on his back. It was already bad enough that he was limping, he didn't want an arched back as well! Scowling at Connie, he took a glance in Annie's direction before going back to his friend and raising an eyebrow. "What's so bad about her?" he asked, grumbling under his breath that if Connie laughed again he'd punch him.

Crossing his arms, Connie answered in all seriousness: "A real _killjoy_." he repeated, as the both of them then proceeded to stare as Annie went out of view. As soon as she did, Connie put a hand on Fritz's shoulder. "Good luck with that one, man." Wanting to get the talk of Annie out of the way, he quickly changed the subject. "Say, we start hand to hand combat training tomorrow – you ready for it?"

Pounding an open fist into the palm of his hand, Fritz met Connie's grin. "You know it!" he exclaimed as Connie let out another chuckle.

Other than his manner towards women, his father had also taught him some martial arts from his time in the military. His father had been a part of the Stationary Guard, and had taught his children countless things when he was still able to. Fritz's confidence in his martial arts skills came from the lessons his father had taught him and he was looking forward to their first exercise – much to Connie's like minded amusement.

"Let's hope we each get good partners Fritz! See you till then!" Connie said, pushing him back and turning to walk back into the barracks.

"Yeah, you too!" Fritz called back as Connie waved in an attempt to look cool with his back turned. He smirked, watching until Connie shut the door behind himself, and then turned back to the gloominess of the nightsky. His gaze wandered to where the girl, Annie, had walked off to. It was mysterious, he thought, that she'd be out this late at night – but then again, who was he to judge? Though, the fact that she could actually be up to something caught his interest. Jumping down to the ground, he yelped in pain, falling to one knee; _he had forgotten about his ankle_! Cursing, he limped his way in the direction he'd seen her go. He wanted to know what she was doing, wanting to know more. He felt that he _had_ to know.

Spotting a figure in the distance, he followed them until they rounded a corner and he looked up at the structure; _this was where the trainee's seminars were held_! His eyes flashed in anger; _if that figure was Annie, she was entering an area she shouldn't be_! Something was up, and he hugged the wall to peek around the corner. There was nothing on the other side and he tilted his head in confusion – _where had she gone_?! Curious, he moved from his hiding place and walked along the wall, careful not to make any noise. There was nothing that caught his eye as he crept, and realized that if he kept going straight he'd end up at the field they were to use for training tomorrow. It was then that a thought hit him: _maybe she was getting some early practice in_? He smirked, maybe she'd like to have a sparring partner...

Stopping just before he came to the end of the wall, he thought of all he'd learned about martial arts from his father to refresh his memory. He wasn't sure how skilled Annie was herself at hand to hand combat, and even if it turned out she was very poor, he couldn't take any chances. He had his pride, after all.

Something clasped itself over his mouth the moment he stepped away from the shadow of the wall and pulled him into the darkness on the other side, and he couldn't struggle from the sudden attack because his arms were pinned behind his back, probably by the assailant's other hand. Acting quickly, he twisted his body and kicked out with his heel to knock whoever had attacked him off balance, but they anticipated the action and slammed him against the wall, locking his arms even tighter. He could feel the person's breath on his neck as they leaned in closer.

"Why are you tailing me?" a stern voice asked. It was cold and detached, bored even, as the owner gripped their hands harder around his mouth and arms. "Answer me." They removed their hand from his mouth, but he had the feeling it could come back at any second.

Grimacing, he wasn't going to be taken down that easily! "I..." he slowly started to say, then flung his head back to try for a backwards headbutt, but they moved away before it made any contact. His plan had worked; _they had let go_. Spinning on his heel, he came around with a fist raised and lashed out at his assailant, who parried and leaped back to create more space between them. They now stood in the light and Fritz's eyes widened in surprise and hidden admiration as he saw Annie standing there with her fists raised in front of her. He flexed the fist he'd punched her arms with – she was really good at defending and he liked that. "... don't have to answer to you!"

"Then I'll just beat it out of you," she said back. She sprang forward with a hop and lashed out with two quick jabs that he had no trouble blocking and realized the reason too late. The two jabs had been a distraction for her real objective as she crouched down and swiped out with one of her legs. As he lost his balance, her hand shot forward and tossed him out into the field fully under the light of the moon. Landing on his back, he winced from his sores and vowed to get Connie back for earlier. He rolled out of the way of her boot as it came crashing down and kicked out to try the same thing she'd done to him. Anticipating the movement, Annie jumped over his leg and moved out of the range of his legs with her arms raised in a defensive posture. Fritz dusted himself off as he got to his feet again.

"You're pretty good," he complimented before hunkering down into a lower, more aggressive, stance. He charged forward and went for an uppercut and at the same time spun on his heel to swipe her across the jaw with his elbow, but again, she parried and proceeded to circle him. He was too slow and she grabbed the back of his collar. Fearing the worst, Fritz twisted his body and used his strength to overpower her which caused her to let go and reel back. He waved a finger in a no-no gesture and goaded her into going on the offensive instead. He caught her first fist as it came at him and dodged the second one right after, only to fall into the same trap as last time. She swiped with her leg and knocked his feet from under him, but this time he managed to reach out and grasp the end of her shirt before falling. As they both tumbled to the ground, he tried kneeing her in the stomach but was blocked and changed tactics by rolling over and getting on top of her to try and pin her down. With his strength being greater, he was sure it'd work and felt victory was on his side until she slammed her forehead into his and caused him to stagger backward. Wincing at the sudden flashes of color that now assaulted him, he raised his fists in a defensive posture this time. _She was __no amateur, that much was clear_. He smiled and nodded his approval at her martial arts skills, he couldn't deny someone with talent after all, but then scowled because he wasn't just about to let what she was doing go! "You can't cheat!" he called out to her. "I mean, it's been mostly about history at this point! And plus, we're not even three weeks into training, what the hell is there to _cheat_ _on_?!"

At his outburst Annie lowered her fists and stared at him blankly for a second in silence. "You think I was going to cheat?" she asked, the tone in her voice unreadable to him. She blinked and sighed to herself, then stretched her arms out. "I had no intention of doing that this late at night."

Fritz also lowered his fists, confused. "Then, why...?"

"I should be the one asking you the questions! Why were you tailing me?!"

Startled, Fritz had totally forgotten about that during the fighting and scratched back of his head in embarrassment. "I... hey don't change the subject!" he huffed and pointed a finger at her. "I was out here getting some fresh air and I happened to see you come over here, so I followed you! I had thought you were going to get in some early practice for tomorrow, but here I find you cheating!"

"I was doing no such thing," she replied, crossing her arms. "And what would _I_ need extra training for?" She fixed him with piercing blue eyes before looking away. "This is stupid, why'd I even come out here?"

"That's what I want to know!"

"It's none of your business," she retorted. "I'm going back to my dorm – this is a waste of my time." Annie turned on her heel and stormed off into the gloom as Fritz watched her leave.

"Hey, wait...!" he called after her, but she was already gone and he was left there standing alone. Blinking, he scratched his head again and sniffed. _What the hell was up with her_? he wondered as he rubbed his sore arms; they'd really gone at each other harder than he'd expected them to. Yawning, he stared down at one of his hands and clenched it into a fist. _What had s__he__ be__en__ doing out here_? He just _had_ to know now. Sneezing and wiping his nose, Fritz cursed the cold night air as he looked in the direction Annie had disappeared in. Yeah, he just _had_ to know now as he remembered how blonde her hair had been. And, now that this adrenaline was subsiding, the pain in his ankle swiftly returned. He'd have to get that checked before the hand to hand combat training tomorrow.


	2. Training

**Chapter Two: Training**

The morning after was scorching hot, and it showed in the beads of sweat that rolled down everyone's faces as they stood at attention single file in their assigned lines on the field. Everyone had their hands either tightly at their sides or behind their backs, waiting for Chief Instructor Shardis to pair them up into groups of two.

Connie's breathing was practically on Fritz's neck as he stood still, and the hot air from his lungs didn't help with the intense heat wave that had sailed through the night before – and that was in _addition_ to the Chief Instructor's ear shattering voice.

Fritz wasn't paying much attention to the names the Chief Instructor was calling off as he went through the lines pointing and shouting. Instead, he concentrated on just watching the Chief Instructor, staring at his bald head that looked as if it were shining under the sun's glare; as he leaned down and screamed into the face of one unfortunate trainee, who tried his best not to yelp in surprise and saw as he exhaled with relief as soon as the Chief Instructor had moved on. Next up was a black haired girl, with two braids that went down to rest of the fronts of her shoulders, stopping just at the collarbone. Shardis began shouting in her face.

Her name was Mina Carolina, he didn't know her, he'd never seen her until today. Most of people here he'd never seen before today, always keeping to himself or in the company of Connie.

He inhaled, the heat getting to him, and focused his attention back on Chief Instructor Shardis. It was then that Connie made an exasperated sigh behind him, blowing even more hot air on his neck than before. Fritz stared up the sky, which was devoid of any visible clouds, as he tried to bear with it. He was still staring at the sky when he heard heavy footsteps, boots, approach. His view of sky was abruptly blocked by a looming bald headed man as his shadow cast itself over his smaller form. Fritz now stared into the hollow eyes of Chief Instructor Shardis.

The Chief Instructor was quiet for a moment, before inhaling sharply. "You! Quit staring at nothing and face front!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, getting spit all over Fritz's face, much to the latter's annoyance and disgust.

"Yes, sir!" Fritz yelled back, clasping his hand to his chest in the proper salute, staring straight into the eyes of the Chief Instructor, who studied him, his gaze. There was a certain _fire_ to it that had caught his interest.

"Very good! Just like that, that is how you should stand when facing front in line!" He pointed in the boy's direction, turning to address all of the other trainees present. "Everyone should follow this trainee's example! Now," he turned back to Fritz, staring him down. When Fritz didn't falter, trying his best not to, the Chief Instructor inhaled sharply again. "Name?" He was still yelling, as if it were his default vocal range.

"Friedrich Brandt, sir!"

"Friedrich Brandt! Your partner for today's training will be Mina Carolina!" Chief Instructor Shardis said, moving trainee beside him. "Maybe you can knock some sense into her!" he called over his shoulder, not looking back.

"Yes, sir!" Fritz's voice was hoarse; he'd overdone it. Still, he sighed with relief now that Shardis had moved on.

/-.-.-.-\

After the Chief Instructor finished assigning everyone in pairs of twos, he promptly dismissed them. They were to get started immediately, after a short water break.

Connie grasped Fritz on the shoulder as soon as they were, and as Fritz looked back, that shaved head of his was shaking back and forth in sympathy.

Fritz tried his best to smile, then turned his attention to looking for his partner among the dispersing crowd of trainees. Spotting a girl's dark hair, he guessed that it had to be her. As he came closer, he wondered why he hadn't noticed that she had also been wearing a red scarf when he'd seen Shardis yelling at her. Summarizing that it didn't matter as he grasped her shoulder, he smiled awkwardly as she turned to face him; hoping to make a good first impression. Blinking, he was staring into the face of a very beautiful girl with slightly slanted eyes that he's never seen on a person before and a blank expression on her face that he couldn't help but think was actually very serious underneath. The girl looked at him for a moment and then down at his hand grasping her shoulder.

"Don't touch me without asking," the girl said as she moved a hand to brush him off. "It's rude." Before she touched his hand, he instinctively drew it away, messing up her scarf as he did so.

"Ah! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-!"

"It's fine." she replied, carefully repositioning it; it seemed of a great importance to her. Hands at her sides now, she stared at him for another moment. "What do you want?" she asked, seemingly confused that Fritz was approaching her so suddenly.

"Oh! I'm Friedrich Brandt!" he stated quickly, running a hand through his hair in embarrassment. "You can call me Fritz! I'm here to be your partner for the exercises today!" He pounded his fists together in excitement. "We should get started right away, I can't sit still!"

The girl continued to stare at him, then pointed over her shoulder. "My partner's behind me," she was pointing at a fairly tall boy with black hair and a friendly expression. He waved. "Bertolt over there. I think you have me mistaken for someone else."

Fritz blinked in surprise and confusion. "A-ah, so you're not..." He pointed a finger at her. "Mina?"

"No," she adjusted her scarf away from her mouth. "Mikasa." she stated bluntly.

"If you're not Mina, then where-"

A tap on his shoulder turned him around. The gray eyes of a homely, and very pretty, faced girl with black hair and braids. She coughed and held up a hand in greeting. "_I'm_ Mina. It's a pleasure to meet you, Fritz." She smiled warmly and it was so friendly that he turned red.

"I-I-I-!" Fritz stuttered, not prepared for the sudden confrontation. "Y-yeah! It's nice to meet you too!" He wildly shook her hand as a result of his further embarrassment and blushed again. "I'm-"

"I know," Mina replied, poking him in the chest. "You're my partner. Hey Mikasa!" she exclaimed and waved over Fritz's shoulder. "Hey there, Bertolt!" Mikasa acknowledged her presence with a nod and Bertolt gave another wave. "I'll take him off your hands! Come on, Fritz!" Pulling him by the wrist, she led him in the opposite direction where there was enough space for the both of them to move around in. "I overheard the entire conversation and I just want to say I'm just as excited to get started!" she exclaimed, letting go of his hand and pumping her fists out in front of herself. Calming down, she turned to him and smiled. "What about you?"

Fritz couldn't do anything other than nod; brain still trying to process everything that just happened a few minutes ago all at once. Looking Mina up and down – he wondered if she'd ever fought before. He guessed that she hadn't and raised his fists with a grin. "Ok, I'm ready. I'll go easy on you, though."

Mina smirked and charged forward, delivering a flurry of uncoordinated punches that he easily blocked with his arms. Noticing that the attacks were ineffective, she moved back and analyzed his form. "You've fought before, haven't you?" she asked, rubbing the back of her hands and laughing suddenly. "Can you give me some pointers? I'm terrible at this kind of stuff."

"Sure," Fritz responded, lowering his fists. Rubbing his forearms, he pointed at the red areas where she'd punched on. "You're strong enough to cause these, so that's a good thing, but the punches themselves were lacking. They didn't have enough force behind them, if you were concentrate more of your power into your swings, I'm confident that you'd at least cause a few bruises." Watching as she nodded at his every word, taking it in, he couldn't help but smile – _he felt like he was actually doing a good job with teaching her_. _He'd never taught anyone anything before_! _Not bad for my first time_, he thought proudly as he raised his fists again with an even wider grin. "Let's try that again, but this time with more power, ok?"

"Right," Mina replied. Raising her own fists – her hands were much smaller than his own, he noticed now – she stood there for a few seconds before rushing in like the first time. Though, this time, her blows were enough to actually cause bruises to her partner, but only just a third of them. The rest had the same effect as before. Easing off again, Mina tilted her head as she looked at his arms. "Better!" she exclaimed, beaming. "So, how did I do this time?!"

"Better," Fritz repeated, rubbing his forearms again. He winced – the repeated trauma to the red areas piled up, starting to stung. Looking to her now, he smiled. "Let's try for a third time – I'm confident you'll get it down then."

No, he wasn't, but he didn't know what else to do besides try again. That was the limit of his thinking, at the moment.

As he raised his fists for the third, out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of blonde hair and swiping feet. Immediately thinking of the girl he'd encountered yesterday night, he averted his attention just as one of Mina's fists connected with his jaw. Staggering back and falling to the ground, staring up at the sky again, he thought he could see stars far out in the distance, and was still looking when Mina bent down to make sure he was alright.

"You ok?" she asked, offering a hand. "I didn't know I could hit that hard." she remarked, helping him to his feet. He shook his head and looked around hastily. Mina tilted her head and looked to the sides for what he was searching for with a puzzled expression.

"What's the matter?"

"I thought I saw someone," he replied quickly, still looking around. "A girl with blonde hair..."

Mina up a finger to her chin in thought. "Blonde hair... anything else?"

Fritz waved a hand in front of the right side of his face. "She had one long bang that went down this side of her face. She had a pointed nose and..."

"Oh! You mean _Annie_?" she exclaimed, raising her finger in the air. "I know her! Is that who you're looking for?"

"Yeah, a girl named Annie! Do you know where she-"

Mina nodded, pointing left. "She usually hangs out by herself over there" Fritz followed her finger. "You see that broken fence over there? And the small tree next to it with the logs underneath? She's probably lounging over there, as usual." Mina sighed, shaking her head in disappointment. "I sit by her all the time when we're eating, and I always tell her: '_you shouldn't laze around like that, it's bad for your health_', but, she rarely responds. When she does respond, it usually turns into a staring contest or an awkward silence." Smiling, Mina sighed again, hands on her hips as she looked at the tree in the distance. "I don't know what to do with her, but, she's my friend, and I'll stick by her anyways." Turning back to Fritz, she meet his eyes again and winked. "Right?"

"Uh-huh," Fritz responded, embarrassed as his face turned red, again, and quickly shook his head, again, to clear his floating thoughts. "I met her yesterday and I've been wanting to talk to her, and I wasn't sure-."

"You too? She's always by herself, I get worried sometimes." Mina crossed her arms. "I wish she'd open up more..." Looking in the direction of the tree again, she frowned. Looking back at Fritz, the frown turned into a smile. "You think you can talk to her?" she asked. "You may have better luck than me."

"But, the exercise." Fritz replied, holding up a hand. "We can't just abandon the drills."

Mina winked again. "We'll just say we're switching locations, Chief Instructor Shardis won't care as long as we aren't slacking off – _like Annie_. I want to go over there myself and try to get her to participate, so I'm coming with you. Come on!" She grabbed his wrist and lead him to the broken fence.

The ground was hard and barren from the heat inside the perimeters of the fence. Outside, there was grass and flowers, rolling hills as far as the eye could see.

As Fritz followed behind Mina, half against his will, he wondered what Mina thought of him. _As a friend, like __she did__ Annie_? He felt it was sudden, given that they had only just met and all. Shrugging, he dispelled the thought as they came to a stop by the broken fence. Next to it was the small tree and logs, just like Mina had earlier described.

"This is it?" he asked, inspecting the area. The training field they were using today was as plain as they came, enclosed within a wooden fence that had been worn by time and the elements, broken in places and rotting in others. The ground beneath his boots was scorching and the tree looked about ready to fall over and die. Its leaves were still on its branches, surprisingly. The logs looked to be in fairly good condition, despite being dry and worn like everything else. As he peered closer, he noticed a form sitting up against the logs, facing the other direction and staring out into the distance. It was that of a girl wearing the standard military trainee uniform with what appeared to be a jacket underneath, the hood visible. Her blonde hair was tied at the back in a small bun that dipped out in three directions. "Is that her?" he asked again, pointing in the girl's direction.

"That's her," Mina replied, shaking her head. "Annie Leonhart." Waving him on, Mina smiled and stood by the broken fence. "I'll stay here and watch out for Shardis, you go and try talking with her."

Fritz hesitated; _he wasn't good with girls_. She waved him on again, assuring through a nod that everything was going to be fine. He nodded back; he did have questions, after all. Gulping, he moved forward slowly, as slow as a snail. Beside the logs now, he took a moment to catch his breath before moving to where Annie was sitting. Standing next to her now, his shadow casting itself over her form as she sat there staring off at nothing in particular, waiting for her to acknowledge his presence, he quietly continued to stand there, and when she didn't, he cleared his throat to get her attention. There was no response, as if the vast space out there that she was staring at was more important. Clearing his throat again, louder this time, he tapped his foot on one of the logs. Still wanting to keep his patience, he continued with his wait, and when she _again_ didn't give any indication that she noticed his presence _still_, he tapped the log harder, causing it to echo with a hollow thud and shake slightly. He was losing his patience. About ready to kick the log this time, he began rearing his foot back when the girl opened her mouth to speak.

"_Don't_ do that _again_." she commanded, still not looking at him. Suddenly, she snapped her blue eyes at the thing that was annoying her most at the moment and scowled. "I'm warning you."

Fritz took the hint, taking note that her eyes still held their piercing intensity, and lowered his foot. "Right, sorry."

"What do you want?" she asked bluntly. "Aren't you the guy from last night – the one who followed me to see if I was cheating?"

"Yeah, that was me," Fritz confirmed shyly, scratching the back of his head and laughing nervously. "Sorry about that, I had just thought that you were-"

"Forget it, it's not important anymore. What do you want _now_?"

"I-I came to ask you i-if you wanted to practice sparring with me some time?" he replied quickly, not wanting to get her angry. _Did she ever talk this much around Mina_? he wondered as she stared at him blankly. It felt like she was studying him. He twitched slightly as he waited for her to respond.

"And why would I want to do that?" she asked, her voice not changing its cold tone.

Fritz pounded his fists together and smirked. "Because I'm confident in my martial arts skills."

"Oh?" Annie's face took on an interested expression, and she blinked before stretching. "You're confident, huh?"

Noticing her interest, Fritz smiled and nodded. "Yeah, that's right. I'm confident that mine are better than yours." His eyes flashed in a challenge.

"Well, then if I beat you, will you be quiet for the rest of the time we're here?" she asked, standing up as she rubbed her muscles and continued to stretch.

"And if I beat you, you have to answer my questions," Fritz threw out quickly, springing to his feet and getting ready himself.

The two of them moved away from the tree and closer to the broken fence underneath the sun and its heat.

Mina, who'd been leaning against it, wondered what was the matter. "Hey, you guys, what's going on?" she asked, concerned. "Did something happen, Fritz?" Looking at Fritz, she tilted her head.

"I challenged her to a fight."

"You did _what_?"

Focusing his attention back to Annie, Fritz rubbed his eyes; not believing what he was seeing at first. "Wow, you're so short."

"You're not much taller." Annie retorted, visibly annoyed at his observation.

"Three centimeters!" he countered, comparing their heights, and holding up three fingers.

Annie just scowled. "Are we going to start?" she asked, getting into a lower posture.

"Yea- _ah_! Hey!" Fritz yelped as Annie swept his legs from under him, landing on his back. He shook the excess dust off his uniform and scowled back at her. "I wasn't ready!" he shouted, getting back to his feet and lowering his posture.

"Ready now?"

"Yeah."

Annie took no time in trying to same tactic again, swiftly and powerfully trying to swipe her opponent's feet from under him. Fritz anticipated the move, and skillfully jumped backwards out of the range of her legs and then sidestepped before lunging for a grab at her uniform's open collar. She dodged and kicked him in the shin, causing him to stagger then stop. Grunting, he came at her again, aiming lower this time, feigning another lunge. The moment she went to dodge he spun and swiped out with his leg, but she leaped out of the way and circled him. She didn't give him time to turn around as she clasped one arm across his collar bone and put her free hand on his inner thigh, and in the split seconds it took to make the technique, she flipped him over her head and he landed on his shoulder blades with his waist curling up to his chest, his legs spread out straight on either side of his head in an embarrassing display of humiliation.

He stayed like that for a few seconds, piecing together what had just transpired and realized he had been flipped on his back. Even worse, _he had been beaten __in almost no time flat_!

"Looks like it hurt," Mina remarked, coming up beside Fritz. Looking toward Annie, she smiled. "Hey Annie, how did you think he did?" She wanted to keep the talking going – this, after all, was the most she'd seen Annie speak thus far.

"Your movements were good, but your form was sloppy."

Mina grimaced. "And I thought he was pretty good – better than me at least. Come on Fritz, get up!" she exclaimed, pushing him over with an effort onto his stomach. She grabbed an arm and lifted him up. "On your feet – it's not that shocking to lose, is it?"

"What's your name? Fritz, was it?" Annie asked suddenly, looking at him as he struggled to stand by himself and pushed Mina away.

"Yeah, that's right." He winced. _I was right, she is pretty good_. _No, she's incredible!_ he mused, smiling. "So, what do you say? Practice with me from time to time?"

"I'll think on it," Annie replied, turning on her heel to go back to her seat against the logs. "If nothing else, I could help you improve your techniques..." she called over her shoulder without looking back.

Mina patted Fritz on the back. "That was great! I've never seen her like that before!" Leaning into his face, she let a wry smile play across her lips. "So, how'd you do it? Come on, tell me!"

Fritz watched as Annie sat down and responded without looking away. "I didn't do anything."

Mina tilted her head at his response and looked in Annie's direction. "Is that so...?" Her voiced trailed off as the two of them continued to look at her, both of them wondering why that was.

/-.-.-.-\

_ "__When inspecting and cleaning your 3D Maneuver Gear, always make sure to double and triple check the axles __around which__the steel __wire __revolves__ once it's released"_.

That's what the Chief Instructor had first told them when they started their scheduled maintenance practice for the day, and as Fritz was struggling to untie his gas canister, he wondered if he'd even make it to that step. The cylinder shape of the canister made it easy for fast removal and resupply, but his seemed to be caught on something inside the rectangular fitting it was housed in. It's _supposed _to pop right out to be quickly extracted and replaced in little to no time at all, but at this rate it would take him twice as long as everyone else around him!

Tugging on it barely did anything, and shaking it was out of the question – _what if the gas inside exploded from the amount of pressure_? He didn't want hot steam to shoot out in _any_ direction, and from the way he held it, right into his face. He certainly didn't want _that_.

"Stupid thing," he groaned, now fiddling with the fitting itself to see if he could slide it off the canister instead. It was to no avail; no matter how hard he tried to slide it, the fitting just wouldn't budge. The trainee next to him; a boy with a tall and lanky physique, sandy brown hair, glasses, and a curious expression on his face, leaned over – pointing to a switch hidden at the bottom of the fitting.

"There is a button that pops the canister out," he explained, watching as Fritz was still trying to pull it out by the fitting. The boy with glasses pressed the button for him, tired of watching the spectacle. The gas canister came free, causing Fritz to jump in surprise and triumph at what he believed to be a miracle, while the one who performed said miracle shook his head in disbelief. "You seriously didn't know that there was a button there?" he asked, positioning his glasses further onto the bridge of his nose. "_Hey_, are you even listening to me?" Fritz was still staring in amazement at what he believed to be his own accomplishment. The boy snapped his fingers in the shorter boy's face, annoyed.

"Huh? What?" Fritz mumbled, looking up slowly in the direction of the tall boy's fingers. He blinked twice, still not fully grasping what he was looking at; drunk on his own self appraisal. Blinking a third time, he gasped suddenly. "_Oh_! _Sorry_! _I was just-_"

"There is a button," the boy said again, motioning at the bottom of his own fitting at the small concealed switch-like mechanism that controlled the locks inside. "You flip it to the left to lock the cylinder in place and you flip it right to unlock."

Fritz gave him a puzzled look for a few seconds, then stared down at his own fitting in his hands, then frowned and looked back up at the tall boy. "So you're saying I didn't do anything to make it come out?"

"No, that was all my doing. Look," the boy grabbed Fritz's fitting and flipped it over, indicating to the switch he mentioned earlier, "this right here is what I pressed to unlock your canister, the pressure built up into the fitting caused it to pop out."

"So you're saying I didn't do anything?"

"Well, other than make yourself look like an idiot, no."

Fritz stood motionless for a moment before responding. "Thanks," he replied, an obvious sarcastic tone to his voice. "As long as we're being courteous to each other, I'm Friedrich Brandt," holding out his hand, he offered it to the taller boy, "and you are?"

The tall boy stared at his hand before accepting. "Thord Lundqvist. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Fritz replied, mumbling under his breath the word "jackass". "And thanks again," he properly thanked in a quiet voice.

"It's not a problem, we should get back to work or Chief Instructor Shardis will yell at us." Thord said, turning back to his 3D Maneuver Gear. "Once you get the hang of it, the process of maintaining it is relatively simple."

"It's not as if Shardis already yells at us enough when we _are_ working," Fritz commented, following Thord's advice and going back to his own Gear. Sliding the canister back into the fitting, he flipped the switch that he hadn't noticed before and watched as the canister popped out in no time at all, and smiled, glad that he didn't have to bang it against the table.

"Right!" Thord chuckled, moving onto the next step in the maintenance process.

Fritz peeked over at what he was doing and blinked, watching how his hands fluidly moved this way and that, not missing a beat or making a mistake. He smiled – _some people were really skilled at this, unlike himself_. A new determination washed over him. He concentrated on his own work; he wanted to improve; he wanted to get better and become on par with the tall boy next to him. He was going to make it happen.

/-.-.-.-\

Now at dinner, Fritz stared down at his plate of food not even realizing all of it was still there. He was too busy going over the motions of cleaning and setting up the 3D Maneuver Gear in his head, and a sharp whistle from Connie caused him to snap out of his imaginary simulations.

"Hey, you in there?" Connie asked, waving a hand in front of his friend's face. "You're not thinking of Annie again, are ya?" He inhaled through his nose, yawning as he did so. "It's no use with that girl, like I said before: she's no fun."

Looking up from his plate with a furrowed brow, Fritz stared into the eyes of his shaved headed friend. "No, I'm not thinking of her. I was going over things in my head."

"The best way to get her to fall in love with you?"

"_No_, I was going over the practice we did with our Gear earlier."

Connie rested the side of his head an arm, seemingly disinterested. "That stuff's easy," he yawned again, stretching in his seat.

"Yes, very easy." a boy's voice replied that startled the two of them. Swiveling around, it same boy Fritz had met earlier that day.

"Who the hell 'er you?" Connie asked, slamming his fist on the table and causing his plate to bounce. "Don't scare us like that, man!"

"My apologies, but I wanted to discuss about the 3D Maneuver Gear with Fritz here," Thord said, pointing to his left at the black haired boy next to him. "I wanted to _continue_ our discussion, actually."

Connie raised an eyebrow before moving from Thord to Fritz. "You know this weirdo?" he asked, motioning to Thord.

Fritz sighed. "Connie, this is Thord Lundqvist. I met him during our maintenance today. Thord, this is Connie Springer, one of my friends."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Thord said, offering his hand to shake. Connie just stared at it and Thord put his hand down. After a moment of awkward silence, he adjusted his glasses. "Well, as I-"

"Can I call you 'Lund' instead?" Connie interrupted, scratching his chin. "I like it better than 'Thord'."

"Huh?" Thord didn't appreciate being interrupted and glared at the shorter boy. "No, you may not. My name is Thord and I would prefer-"

"How about 'Thor' then?"

"No." Thord replied with a grimace and waved him off in annoyance. "My full name is-"

"Yeah yeah, I got that already. So what about this discussion, '_Lund_'?"

"Connie I wouldn't-" Fritz started to interject, but he was silenced with a _shh _from Connie, so he was forced to watch their exchange instead. There was a sigh from Thord, who grumbled something about his name and Fritz smirked – he liked 'Lund' better as well. It had a nice ring to it; plus it irritated the taller boy whenever they said it.

"Ah yes, that, well earlier," Thord, now "Lund", began, "the two of us were in the process of performing maintenance on our 3D Gear when I noticed he was having a bit of trouble. When I happened to glance over, he couldn't take his gas canister out of its fitting. He hadn't realized there was button at the bottom of his fitting that allowed for-"

"Wait wait wait! _Hold up_!" Connie interrupted again, waving his hands around. "Did you say: '_couldn't take his gas canister out of its fitting_'?" he asked, the expression on his face unreadable.

Adjusting his glasses, Lund answered. "I do believe that is what I said, yes."

Connie was silent for a moment as the two of them stared at his face, though one of them knew what was going to happen next and immediately tried to hide himself under the table. Connie's lip started to quiver and seconds later he burst out in a fit of laughter. "Oh my god! Are you _serious_!? That's the funniest-" his laughter overtook his voice for a few seconds. "Seriously Fritz? You didn't know there was a _switch_ there?" He chuckled, looking over at his friend with dancing eyes of laughter.

Fritz blushed. "I-!"

"Didn't know there was a button hidden at the bottom?" Lund finished for him, blinking.

"Shut up, '_Lund__'_!" Fritz roared back, embarrassed that he was being laughed at. Again. He pushed his plate away in anger. "I'm not even hungry anymore!"

Connie regained control of himself enough to apologize. "I'm sorry Fritz... it's just... I'm sorry...!" he pounded his hand on the table in an effort to control his laugh. "It's just that that's the most easiest thing in the world to figure out!" Regaining control, he inhaled deeply a couple of times before leaning back in his seat and smiling. After a few minutes of silence at the table, he leaned forward again and looked at Lund. "I like you already Lund!" He then turned to Fritz and pointed at his friend's plate. "So, you're really not gonna eat that?" he asked.

"No, I'm not." Fritz retorted. "Take it if you want."

"Nah, I don't want it, but I know someone who will," he said, spinning around in his seat to scan the tables, whistling upon finding his target. "Hey Sasha! Come 'ere! Do you want Fritz's food, he says he doesn't want it!" he called out, and as Fritz looked to where his voice was directed, he spotted four people seated closely together at one table.

There were two boys: one with dark short hair, and the other will a type of blonde bowl cut, their backs were facing him so he couldn't get a good luck at their faces; the other two were both girls: one had semi-long dark black hair and slightly slanted eyes, a blank expression on her face, and the other had brown hair tied back into a ponytail – she was also drooling. Upon further inspection, he noticed that the darker haired girl had a piece of bread in her hand and was coaxing the other girl with it, much to her dismay and appetite. After another shout from Connie, the drooling one of the two snapped her head to attention toward the sound of his voice, and Fritz assumed that she must be Sasha. Looking at the other girl, she still wore the same blank expression on her face, as she too, was now also looking in their direction. It reminded him of Annie, and his eyes were drawn to the red scarf she had looped around her neck, wishing he had something like that to keep himself warm other than his lounging clothes. It was then that he realized who she was: _Mikasa Ackerm__a__n_. _They'd met before_!

All the trainees were gossiping how talented she was now. Upon realizing that it was her, he immediately recognized the two boys across the table: the one with black hair was Eren Yeager, and the one with blonde hair was named Armin Arlert. He knew this because the three of them were practically inseparable – they were always seen together. After a moment, he also realized that Sasha was the girl from when they first arrived in camp: the one who had to run until she dropped because she stupidly decided to eat a potato during introductions. Remembering the particular incident, he watched as she stumbled over as if she were about to fall over from starvation any second and felt a bit of companionship as a fellow idiot and then scowled. He just agreed with everyone who'd ever told him he was an idiot that he was, in fact, an _idiot_. Beside him now, Sasha completely ignored his dejected expression as she opened her mouth to speak. "Can I have that?" she reached out to his plate, but then reeled her claws back when Fritz covered it. _If they were both considered idiots, then they'd settle this like idiots_!

"Yeah, but I wanna know who you are first!" he retorted, holding the plate closer to his person. He already knew, but he wanted to hear her full name; plus, he had a feeling she would pounce on his plate any second if he didn't preoccupy her right at that moment.

"Huh?" she said, wiping her mouth free of any excess drool before looking at him, noticing his presence for the first time. She shrieked and immediately got on one knee, gazing up into his eyes. "I'm so sorry! My name's Sasha Blouse," she pointed to his plate, "so can I have that, _God?_"

"_God_?" Fritz mumbled, not sure if she were calling _him_ God or... _what_. From the way she was positioned, it looked as if she were revering him as her saviour. He blinked, not sure how to approach the situation. Removing his hands from his plate and leaving it, he blinked again. _God? What the hell is she-_?

It was in that moment that she snatched all his food and proceeded to scarf it down; it was gone in a matter of seconds.

"Hey!" he cried, taking the now empty plate in his hands. "You could have at least waited for me to-!" He didn't get to finish his protest as she licked her lips and kissed him on the lips. Taken aback, his thoughts became floaty as she hastily licked her lips again.

"I thought I saw crumbs," she confessed, as everyone was left in shock at what had just transpired. "I was right!" She raised her hands above her head in joy, wrapping her arms around her new deity. "Oh God, thank you for the food you have given me!" She sobbed and blew her nose into his shirt.

"Eww! Hey! Cut it out!" Fritz shouted, pushing her back, holding her shoulders, and staring into her happy face with wonderment. "I'm not your God, and my real name is Fritz!" he told her, shaking her gently. "Also, you shouldn't kiss and hug strangers, especially boys, because they may attack you shortly after." He nodded for her to understand, staring into her brown eyes. "Luckily, I'm not that kind of man." Letting go of her shoulders, he proudly held his head up high and crossed his arms as if his existence mattered. Sasha stared awestruck at him for a moment before clasping his hands in hers.

"Thank you God! Thank you!" she shouted, shaking his hands hard; almost violently.

"I told you-!" he retorted, trying to stop her from tearing his arms off. "I'm not your God. The name's Fritz. F-r-i-t-z! _Fritz!_"

"God!" she shrieked back, not even hearing him anymore. She was too wrapped up in her appraisal to even acknowledge that she was gazing at a human being anymore; Fritz had ascended into a higher plane of existence.

"I already-!" He was interrupted by someone piling their food onto his plate and spun around, seething at the culprit. Lund wrinkled his nose, tilting his head in puzzlement. "Don't make it worse!"

"What?"

"Is this funny to you?" Fritz fixed him with annoyed eyes, jabbing a finger into his chest. Lund leaned forward in response, a little too close for comfort. His own eyes were sparkling.

"No, I'm fascinated," he replied, adjusted his glasses as Fritz leaned back uncomfortably and summarized that Connie's accusation of him being a "weirdo" was spot on.

"What the hell are you-!" He leaned back into Sasha, who grabbed him from behind.

"God! You have more food!" she cried into his back, rubbing her face all over his shirt. "Thank you! Thank you! _Thank you_!"

Frantically trying to shrug his new worshiper off, Fritz took his plate and tossed it behind his back in hopes that she would go after it. It worked, as she let go to catch the flying food into her mouth, and as before, it was gone in no time at all. She sighed in ecstasy, drooling a little. Fritz made the mistake of turning his head to make eye contact.

Sasha bowed, in total sway of her new religious leader: _Fritz the Great and Plentiful Food Giver_. He held up his hands in embarrassment; _everyone was watching_!

"Hey, hey, _hey_! None of that!" he stammered as she continued to bow, when an idea came to his head. "I-if I give you food from now on, will you stop doing that?!" he pleaded, glancing quickly around at the unreadable expressions of everyone around. Immediately, he regretted what he had said. The next thing he knew he was on the ground with an infatuated bottomless pit of a girl on top of him. He turned bright red, startled by her sudden barrage of kisses on his right cheek. Flailing, he frantically tried to push her off with no success.

A heavy weight fall on top of him and he opened his eyes as he felt her lips on his once again. Abruptly snapping his head to the side, he continuously spat until he got her taste out of his mouth. That was when he felt the weight being lifted.

"Quit pestering people, _damn_," a ticked off voice above him snorted, and as he looked up into the dark eyes of a tall, tan skinned and freckle faced girl with fetchingly dark hair, she scowled. Blinking rapidly, he wiped his mouth and sat up. She had something strewn over her shoulder, and upon a second glance, and a shake of his head, he saw that it was none other than his new worshiper: Sasha Blouse. "It's damned annoying!" she huffed, scowling down at the victim of Sasha's starving assault. "You owe me one, kid." She smirked, not even giving him a second thought before stepping over his sprawled out body to leave.

"Hey! Where are you taking her!" he called out, worried for the unconscious girl's safety despite almost practically being raped by her mere minutes before. "_Hey_!"

The girl kept walking, not even bothering to look over her shoulder or stop. "To her bunk." Now at the doors, she stopped and turned to staring directly into his eyes. "Remember kid: you _owe_ me one."

"My name is Fritz dammit!" He shouted back, pointing to himself. "Fritz! F-r-i-"

"Whatever," she waved him off, leaving the mess hall, not looking back. A fairly short girl with long blonde hair, a petite build, and beautiful blue eyes ran after, calling out for her to stop. Fritz heard her say the name "Ymir", and he repeated the name over in his head. _Ymir. _He would have to remember that name from now on.

Nobody in the room was moving a muscle. It was silent. After a minute or two, the whole place erupted in fits of laughter, interrupting his train of thought. That was when Chief Instructor Shardis slammed open the doors.

"What is all the commotion?" he shouted at the top his lungs, his face seething rage and fury, veins popping out. "Anyone want to tell me?" he commanded, casting his eyes over the whole room.

Everyone had immediately shut up and Fritz had bolted back into his seat, too afraid to move. The Chief Instructor took a step forward, ready to yell again. Mikasa lifted her hand, deciding that now was an appropriate time to answer, and knew _exactly_ what to say to handle the situation.

"Sasha found a new lover."

The Chief Instructor stood still for a moment, scratching the back of his head. "Erm, well, tell Blouse and her new 'lover' to meet me first thing in the morning!" And with that, he left, still red in the face, but this time more out of embarrassment than rage. As soon as the sounds of his boots could no longer be heard, the place erupted with laughter again. Laughing the loudest was Connie, and at that point Sasha's new "lover" wanted to bury his face into his hands and forget he ever existed.

/-.-.-.-\

The next morning, Chief Instructor Shardis stood in front of the two responsible for last night's disturbance and shook his head, pacing back and forth, staring them down as they saluted. He got in Sasha's face first.

"_Blouse!_" he shouted so loud it would have caused a deaf person's ears to bleed. "What is your excuse for making Brandt over here your 'lover'!?"

"He gave me food, sir!" she immediately shouted back, not missing a beat. "Two platefuls, sir!"

The Chief Instructor reeled himself back, totally dumbfounded. He just couldn't figure this girl out. "Well, lucky for you Blouse! You and your 'partner' are now going to be forced to run until I tell you to stop! Is that clear!?" he shouted at both of them this time.

"Yes, sir!" they called back in unison, holding their salutes. The Chief Instructor nodded his approval, dismissing them immediately after.

They started their long run until they were about ready to collapse, and by the end of the day he told them they could stop, much to Fritz's burning legs' and Sasha's starving stomach's relief. As soon as the two of them stopped, the world around Fritz became nothing but a haze and he was engulfed in its heat, collapsing in a sweaty heap to the ground; unconscious and exhausted. Before he had passed out he cursed Connie for starting the whole mess in the first place and would continue cursing him until he woke up hours later.

/-.-.-.-\

Opening his eyes, he weakly and wearily looked around for any sign of Sasha, but it was too dark to see anything and his head hurt, so he put it back down. Staring up into the sky, he wondered why it was a dark green color and then flinched as something fell on his face. Blowing it off, he blinked rapidly before it came into focus; he was staring at the dark green leaves on a tree. Still suffering from his headache, he slowly got up, bumping his head on a jutting out log, cursing and rubbing the newly formed bump on the back of his head. Scowling, he turned over on his side and stumbled to his feet, using the log as a support. Holding steady, he regained his balance, shook his head, slapped himself to wake up. _He knew this place_ – after all, he had been here countless times before for sparring sessions.

Blinking again, he rubbed his eyes and noticed, for the first time, a dark form standing against the pile of logs that the one jutting out belonged on his right, and upon a second look he caught glimpse of a familiar bun that dipped out in three directions.

"Annie? What...?" he hoarsely called out, yawning. Her back was turned to him as she stared out at nothing in particular, as she usually did.

"You shouldn't move around so quickly, your body is still recovering," she cautioned without turning around. "You were running along with that _moron_ for a long period of time." She clicked her tongue on the word "running", which she believed had looked more like a fish fresh out of water trying to start life anew on land than anything close to exercise. It had amused her, and she glanced back with one of her piercing blue eyes. "You're lucky I found you when I did, or else you would have been left there where you had collapsed."

Fritz scratched the back of his head and winced – the bump was still there. "So, is that a confession?" he asked, trying to read her expression in the dark. He heard her mutter something under her breath as she spun around on her heel to face him.

"Tell me, how do you want to die tomorrow?" she asked, her voice hostile and fists curled at her sides. He held up his hands, backing off.

"I-it was a joke!" he exclaimed, taking a step back and involuntarily covering his nose. "Don't you have a sense of humor?" No response. Lowering his hands and clearing his throat, wanting to change topics, he spread them out in a gesture of thanks. "Anyway, why did you bring me here? Is there a reason? I mean, you could have just dropped me off at my barrack, right?"

She eased her stance, crossing her arms. "I wanted to talk to you about something." Looking away, she continued. "I wanted to know if you wanted to have another match – a serious one this time, like before."

"Huh?" Fritz blinked, indicating at himself. "Me? Why me? And why a match? I thought you said that martial arts skills didn't count towards your rating."

"I did, but it's only because I want to see how far you've improved," she said, glancing in his direction, "and, you're the only one here besides me who's hand to hand skills are on par with my own. I want to see who's the better fighter."

"So..." Fritz started, not sure how to respond, "you want to compare our fighting styles?" He tilted his head. "If you say so," he shrugged, "it's the least I could do with you helping me and all."

"Then how about tomorrow, after training is over?" Annie asked, her eyes flashing in a challenge.

Fritz's eyes flashed in acceptance. He beat an open fist into the palm of his hand like he usually did when he got excited. "Bring it on!" he exclaimed, smirking. "I'll make you pay for humiliating me from before!" He jabbed his finger at her face, causing her to scowl.

"It's decided then: tomorrow after training we will meet up at this spot in the afternoon."

Fritz nodded in agreement, the two of them trying to stare the other down. Breaking eye contact, Annie walked away, not looking back.

Fritz watched her leave until she mingled in with the darkness – sighing with relief as soon as she was gone. He didn't know how he was going to feel in the morning, and he propped himself on one of the logs, thinking over all that had happened today. This place reminded him of home when his family had been intact, the hectic nature of it all, and he smiled, staring out at nothing in particular into the gloom.

/-.-.-.-\

Now, it was directly after their exercise for the next day, and the Chief Instructor had just dismissed them for lunch, as Fritz stretched his sore limbs. Having Ymir as a partner was harsh, and he was fearful the whole time he'd been with her. She hadn't said anything about favors or owing her one, but he knew that eventually she'd bring it up again. Though, he was grateful because now he felt stronger than before. Lazily walking away in the direction of the mess hall and wondering where she was from, her words still at the back of his mind: _you owe me one_. As he thought, two figures stopped in front of him – both in the standard uniform and Gear, one had a red scarf around her neck and the other an apologetic grin on her face.

Mikasa pushed Sasha forward, the expression on her face blank as usual. This was one of the rare times seeing her without Eren or Armin – let alone both of them.

"Alright Sasha, say what you wanted to say," she said in a flat, but hard, voice. Sasha stood straight, staring determinedly into his eyes.

"I-I'm sorry!" she stammered, louder than necessary as she did a deep bow, "I didn't mean to go after you like that! I was just so hungry and-!"

Fritz held up his hand, red in face as he remembered the startling encounter. "I-it's alright, I understand." Immediately, his hands were clasped in hers like before.

"Oh! You do? You really _do_!?" she exclaimed, eccentric. "I'm so glad-!"

Mikasa interrupted with a clearing of her throat.

"O-oh right! That's right! Let me reintroduce myself!" Sasha said, clapping her hands together. "I'm Sasha Blouse, it's wonderful to meet you!" she beamed, now shaking her hands together with relief.

Fritz let out a small laugh, scratching his cheek. "Likewise, I'm Friedrich Brandt," he held out his hand to shake. She accepted in no time at all and smiled brightly.

"I was so happy when you selflessly gave me your food! _So_ happy!" she exclaimed, still beaming, "I was so grateful! I thought I would have died back then if not for your kindness!"

"Don't mention it, and, like I promised, I'll still give you food. You know, if you still-"

"_Yes_!"  
"Ok ok! Calm down! _Easy_!" Fritz exclaimed, taking a step back. "I always keep my word, count on it!" He smiled, saluting.

Mikasa clapped her hands together once, breaking up the conversation. "Now that that's settled, let's all go to lunch." she said, pointing at the path leading to the mess hall. "We should go now, I have to check on someone."

Fritz nodded, not wanting to be rude. "Right, let's go!"

Pointing in the direction Mikasa had indicated at, he held his head high as they started off down the path. The look in her eyes meant that this person was very important to her, and he knew the feeling all too well, as she lead them through the forest.

As the three of them walked along the path, Fritz smiled again, this time at the two of them. He had made two new friends here, and had met countless others, in only the beginning of the first year. There were two more years of training, and he was looking forward to those years with his new family. Staring at Sasha's brown hair, her ponytail, he wondered where within the Walls she had come from – it must have been an area scarce with supplies and contact with the larger Districts, given the way she acted. Then his mind when to a face he knew well now. _Where had she learned her hand to hand skills and why did she look so bored all the time_? How many other of the trainees would he meet and become acquaintances with in his first year here? How many of them would even get through their first year? Their second? _Third_?

Staring up into the tall trees of the forest, he tried to see the sky beyond them, catching patches of blue here and there, and this time, he saw clouds. Smiling to himself, he faced ahead again and continued to follow behind Sasha and Mikasa, the three of them going single file down the path. It was narrow and damp, as it had rained over during the exercise.

It was still lightly drizzling, mudding his boots, but nonetheless cooling him off. He wondered if Lex and Ines had shared similar experiences to his own, and prayed that his elder sister was alright. Being a member of the Scouting Legion, she was at a greater risk than most; tasked with reclaiming lost territory from the Titans and gathering information about their movements, their tactics, their origins, he prayed that she was safe. He didn't want to lose another of his siblings, and as he looked up at the sky through the tree tops again, reaching out to a relatively small cloud that slowly floated on by, he wanted to see her again.

Closing his hand into a fist, he vowed that he would join the Scouting Legion himself and meet up with her one day – he had made a promise to his mother. Lowering the clenched fist, he continued the trek with a new determination and purpose, bracing himself for the rest of a long day and hopefully, his spar with Annie later, and what future days held in store for him.

These precious memories, he would hold them close to his heart forever and always. Titans, he gulped at the thought of facing them in combat, and the dangerous risks involved with taking them down. A cut to the nape of the neck, nothing more, no less. Regeneration, varying shapes and sizes, different types. Tough opponents to humanity's survival indeed, and he was both apprehensive and excited for the chance to meet them head on. Only fourteen years old, he was ready and resolved for anything the training threw at him to prepare for what was to come in the future – whether it be Titans or anything worse.


	3. Feelings Come With Rain And Ice

**Chapter Three: Feelings Come With Rain And Ice**

Pouring rain. Cold. The rain was cold and heavy as it fell onto the jagged rocks and gravel of the rugged terrain that the trainees were scaling for the day's exercise. It was midday, the sun was in the middle of the sky and gave off a faint orange hue that overshadowed everything in its wake. Down below were the dark forms of four trainees as they trudged together through the harsh conditions in a tightly knit group. Each was carrying a sack of equipment on their back and wearing a raincoat to keep dry, their boots muddied and the ground slippery from leftover dew and heavily saturated soil. One of the trainees lost their footing and their feet fell frown under them; she landed onto the muddy ground on her back and stared up at the dark clouds overhead. Drops of rain peppered her face violently as she lay there, and her black braids tickled her nose as she blinked dumbly. Another form crept over her and blocked out the rain that was pouring down and her gray eyes stared into the green eyes of her group member: Friedrich Brandt.

"You okay, Mina?" he asked as he rubbed his nose and sniffed. When he removed his hand there was mud smeared across it.

Mina couldn't help but smile at his carelessness. "I'm fine, Fritz. I just slipped. Can you help me up?" Reaching up with one of her hands, Mina waited for him to take it. With his help, she was back on her feet and hefting her sack of equipment over her shoulders again. The pack was heavy and cumbersome, especially in the current weather conditions. She looked at Fritz and nodded. "Thanks."

Fritz nodded back and gave a salute. "You can count on me!" he exclaimed proudly, then realized that he had gotten mud of his uniform. Looking down, he frowned and cursed under his breath. This caused Mina to laugh. He really was careless.

"Hey, what are you two doing? This isn't the time to stop and take a break! We're only halfway to the top, why the hell are you stopping?!" a voice called over. The two trainees looked over to see Eren waving at them and coming closer. The two of them were in the middle of the group and had impeded their steady progress. The girl taking up the rear had stopped too, waiting for them to continue. She looked out at the rugged terrain around their location and stretched her arms and groaned. Eren pointed behind at the path ahead, which was covered with mud and hard dirt, barely even noticeable anymore. "We have to get going!"

"Sorry!" the two of them apologized in unison. Fritz tried to wipe the dirt of his uniform to no avail and Mina lowered her hood further over her face to protect it from the rain. Eren's eyes softened as he looked at Mina. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, still wanting to make sure they were alright to continue on. He didn't want to be the last group there.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Ok, then let's start again, but let's double the pace!" Eren said, then peered over Fritz and Mina's shoulders at the girl taking up the rear. "Achi, are you ready? We're going now!" The girl, Achi, glanced over briefly and then went back to staring out at the terrain.

"Yeah, I'm ready. Let's just get this over with." She sighed and turned on her heel. "This rain is getting worse and it's annoying the crap out of me." Crossing her arms, she balled on her hands into a fist and flexed it. "My arms are getting tired carrying this piece of shit," she patted the sack on her back, "so yeah, let's get going." Eren nodded in agreement and waited for Mina and Fritz to do the same, then turned back to take the lead again. As he started off hastily, Fritz, Mina, and Achi fell in line behind him.

Fritz adjusted the sack on his back for more comfort and sniffed again. The rain was getting to his senses. He'd never experienced rain like this back at home in Trost and smirked at the realization. He was experiencing something new. Earlier in the day, Chief Instructor Shardis had paired them into groups of four and strapped a sack to each of their backs and ordered them to trek to the top of a hill that was located far from the training camp. Each group was a mix of different personalities to help the trainees learn the value of teamwork and what it meant to work with other people that they may or may not agree with. Fritz wasn't sure if Shardis had picked right, as he and Eren were similar in their personalities, but who was he to judge? He didn't know the other boy that well – the only one he knew well within the group was Mina, but she was too focused on the exercise to be able to talk to casually as they went along. The other girl, Achi, was very quiet and didn't say much, though she always looked to be deep in thought or annoyed for some reason. It reminded him of Annie, although this girl was shorter and smaller. She didn't even look like she belonged in the military, being only twelve years of age. She had auburn twin-tails that reached down to a little behind and below her shoulders that reminded him of his sister's own hairstyle the last time he had seen her. Though, one look at the girl's face had dispelled any indication that she still held the innocence of a child like his sister; it was a haunted and dark expression that was painted from a past of torment and horror and he wondered just _what_ she had experienced to have hazel eyes so frighteningly cold. It was similar to Annie's and Ymir's, and now that he thought on it – even Eren, Mikasa, and Armin had hints of the same look. A look that said they have journeyed through hell once and back again.

Realizing this, he thought how many others held the same look, or hints of it, and what experiences they have had; wondering if he himself had that same look, or hints of it, and summarizing that he probably did. Now that he thought about it even more, all of them did. All of them had journeyed through hell once and back again, ready to plunge back in for a second trek.A voice snapped his mind back to reality. He was at the back of the group, Mina and Eren ahead of him. Right in front of him was Achi, the girl he had been thinking about.

"Is staring at others a fetish for you?" Achi asked in an ice cold voice, as cold as the rain that hit his raincoat. Her eyes were looking up at him with disgust.

Fritz blinked, holding up his hands in an apologetic fashion. "Ah! I'm sorry, I was just-"

"Thinking lucid thoughts?"

"No," he retorted, shaking his head. Lifting a finger, he pointed toward her face. "I was thinking about the look on your face."

"What about it?" Achi sniveled and touch around her cheeks. "Is there something there?"

"It's not the type of look a child should have."

Lowering her hands, Achi let out a giggle which quickly turned into an amused chuckle, then a low moan. Looking towards the sky, she smiled sadly at the sun overhead. "Yeah, it is." She reached out to a disfigured cloud, the darkest one, and closed a hand into a fist as if to crush it. "I guess I just can't hide it as well as some others here, huh?" Then, abruptly shooting her hand forward, she grabbed Fritz by the top of his uniform and pulled him to eye level; her features were full of disdain and eyes drowning with contempt. "_What do you think_?"

A bead of sweat rolling down his forehead to the bridge of his nose, Fritz contorted his face into a pained grin and stared directly into her eyes. "Y-yeah, those really aren't the eyes of a child," he gasped softly, his voice giving off a sympathetic tone. Grunting in surprise when she pushed on his chest and knocked him back, he frowned.

"I don't need your pity," she growled, fists clenched at her sides. "So _what _if I don't have the same eyes as all the little _shits_ you see running around behind their mommies and daddies?"

"I'm sorry..." he replied, eyes downcast as he stared at his muddied boots. Looking up, he met her eyes again. "It's just when I look at you it reminds me of my little sister."

"Are you saying she has the same eyes?" Achi asked, pointing to one of them. "Are you saying she's already died once?" She clicked her tongue and crossed her arms, looking away. "Or, are you thinking: '_I hope __she __doesn't end up like that when she's __older_'," lowering her voice, it became distant as she remembered something from her past, "I don't need anyone's _damned_ pity." Fixing him with eyes full of scorn, she inhaled sharply through her nose. "Especially someone like _you_."

"Alright, alright, I get it! Just calm down!" he said, holding up his hands in defeat and fixing his uniform; it was still caked in mud. "I'm sorry for not-"

"It's fine, whatever. Just as long as we're clear, got it?" Putting her hands on her hips, she leaned forward.

"Got it."

"Good. Now," glancing over he shoulder, she looked at Eren and Mina who were ahead of them. "Baldy said that today's exercise was _special_." She made quotations around the word "special", mocking the term. "He said that the fastest group to get to the top would be rewarded." Looking back to Fritz, her eyes flashing in annoyance, she spat onto the ground. "I think that's a load of crap. It's like saying out of the whole Squad, only one is the best and everyone else is second rate." She tilted her head to the side, as if to shake the rain off her hood. She sighed. "It's bullshit, but I want to get out of this rain so I shouldn't be complaining." Motioning to their two fellow group members, she flexed her fingers. "Keep up with Eren and we'll get there in no time. Keep pace with him, got it? I don't want to be out here anymore than necessary."

Fritz nodded slowly. "I got it..."

/-.-.-.-\

The rest of the trek was made in silence as the four of them finished to the top. As soon as they came to it, waiting at the center was Chief Instructor Shardis and a few of the other instructors. Also there were a few groups that had made it there before them. Behind the Chief Instructor was Wall Maria and he shouted that they'd wait for the rest of groups to make it before proceeding onward. As soon as the other groups made it, they would all start the trek again with the same groups back down the hill, but this time towards Wall Maria. He explained that one of the border towns was in the direction they were going and that was their true destination for the day. This news caused most of the trainees present to sigh in relief – they were finally getting a break. Fritz sniffed a third time, he wasn't sure if his nose could hold up until then...

"What's that look for?" Achi asked, standing beside him. His facial expression was dejected and distant.

Fritz replied without looking back. "I'm just... thinking about something..." _About Annie_. What the haunted look in her eyes meant. _Her past_. "Say, do you know why your eyes are so... cold?" he asked softly, not expecting an answer.

"Does it matter?" Turning to leave, she took a few steps before looking back over her shoulder and fixing him with an unreadable eye. "All that matters is how much trust you put in the person standing beside you." And with that, she left him standing alone by himself, wondering what she had truly meant by her words.

/-.-.-.-\

Later that same day, Chief Instructor Shardis had given the trainees free roam of the District as long as they didn't damage or disrupt anyone. Fritz walked with Mina as they talked about various things ranging from family to the day's earlier training exercise. As they passed by the different vendors and small shops packing the streets, occasionally waving to fellow trainees or residents, one thing was on his mind. _Where was Annie_? Knowing the solitary types, he figured she wouldn't be roaming around like everyone else and casually chatting, but where would she go? There were various back alleys and side streets that she could have went down, he took note of as he and Mina passed by one, but then summarized that she'd probably prefer a place more open than a dark corner in the District. Noticing him deep in thought, Mina leaned over and looked up into his face, guessing correctly at what he was thinking about.

"Thinking about Annie?" she asked, a wry smile on her lips as her braids swayed in front of their resting position on her shoulders.

"N-no! I was-!" Blushing, Fritz jumped back in embarrassment and flailed his arms in denial.

"It's alright, we're all friends, remember?" Lifting a finger, she pointed toward herself then at him. "Worrying about their friends is what a friend does, right? So it's alright!" she exclaimed, clenching her hands into fists as she shook with excitement. "So, do you want to know where she is?"

"No it's-!"

Pointing up to the sky, Mina interrupted his protests. "I'll give you a hint," she winked, "what's the highest place here?"

"The Wall!" Fritz exclaimed in answer.

"Correct! She's probably lounging around up there. It's secluded at this time of night, usually."

"Ah, that makes sense! Thanks Mina!"

Waving, Fritz, turning on his heel to leave. He heard Mina call out to him and looked back to see her wave.

"If you hurry, you can catch her! Good luck!"

Running past buildings and other people in the street, he contemplated what he would say to her once he'd found her. Jumping over a stationary cart, he rolled to his feet and zipped down one of the side streets to get to his destination faster. The street was dark and forbidding, but it didn't bother him in the slightest as he only had one thing on his mind that kept the various nightmares of the dark at bay. Rounding a corner, he spotted the end of the side street which then veered off into the main one again, aiming straight for it. As soon as he had cleared the exit, the Wall within sight, a voice stopped him in his tracks.

"There's a hole."

Looking down, Fritz didn't see any holes – the stone pavement was smooth and without many cracks, being well maintained over the years. Glancing up, he scratched his head, searching around for the source of the voice. Turning back to the exit he had just come through, he noticed for the first time a shadowy figure in the gloom leaning up against one of the buildings. Peering closer, the figure was awfully short in stature and had its arms crossed. Stepping forward into the light, auburn twin-tails swaying slightly in the breeze, Achi Almen stared at him with eyes full of cold beauty. Inhaling sharply, looking at the Wall, seemingly lost in thought for a moment. "There's a hole in her heart," she elaborated, still gazing at the Wall.

_ A hole in her heart?_ Fritz wondered, not fully understanding. _Was it a medical problem?_

Noticing his clueless stare, Achi sighed in annoyance at his stupidity. "Something that was once there is gone," fixing him with her eyes now, she continued. "Something that she held onto is now just a missing piece in her puzzle of a heart."

"Huh?"

"She's hurting on the inside."

"From an injury?" Fritz asked, still not understanding what she meant. He immediately knew what she did as soon as she grabbed a certain spot on her chest and twisted it; her heart. _An emotional pain,_ _like when his brother died_. A hole that wouldn't fill right away, a pain that wouldn't leave your side. A loss. Clutching his own heart, he glared at her now.

"Do you understand now?" she asked, removing her hand. "You can't fill that hole, no matter how hard you try. Is that what you were planning on doing by running off like that?"

"I-!"

Cutting him off, she continued. "Whether as her friend or something more, no matter what you say it won't be filled – that hole."

"If she's in that much pain, then she needs help!" he shouted, filling with anger at not realizing all the signs sooner – the way she always stared out, always by herself. "I-!"

"How much do you know about her?"

The questioned stopped his flow of words as he continued to clutch his heart, harder this time. Now that he thought about it, he still didn't know that much about her; he stared at the ground searching for something. _A__nything__._

"See? No matter how much you want to, you can't help her-"

"_Shut up_!" he screamed, startling her. "What makes you think you know anything?!" Immediately after he said the words, he regretted them.

Looking away, she balled one of her hands into a fist. "Everyone has their pains," she uttered softly. "If you try and force them to close off those holes, you'll only end up making it worse for the both of you." Meeting his eyes, she smiled sadly. "What makes you think _you_ know anything about the things she's experienced? You can't, no matter how much you want to, you can't understand... _her pain_."

"Achi... I'm-"

"Shut up you _bastard_!" she growled and glared at him with watery eyes. "You don't know _anything_, so what makes you think you know _her_? If you really, _truly_, want to glimpse what she's like, just be aware that I warned you." Then, looking away again, staring into the dark corners of a nearby building: "If you really want to take your first _true_ step into hell, wouldn't it be best to do it with someone you can trust?"

"I know what you're trying to say, but I believe trust begins with getting to know someone first, and if you happen to see what they're really like on the inside, then can't you learn to trust them all the more?" he countered, raising his voice and removing his hand from his heart. "I don't know what pain she went through, or even the pain you've experienced, but if I can learn more about it, then maybe-"

"_Whatever_! Just go, you stupid bastard! Don't say I didn't warn you!" Achi screamed, rage, and something deeper, coating her voice. "Trust someone you can't possibly understand, see if I care!"

"Achi-"

"_Just go_!"

The harshness in her tone of voice had taken him aback, and he nodded. Turning on his heel to find Annie, not hearing what Achi had whispered as he hurried off in his haste as she watched him disappear as he rounded another corner and went out of sight.

"_Treat the whole world and everyone in it as your enemy._" Looking to the sky, she grasped the moon between her fingers and squeezed. "_Huh, Annie_?"

/-.-.-.-\

Reaching the Wall, Fritz gazed up its length and gulped, fumbling in his attempt to aim his Gear's triggers. Aiming as high as he dared, he pulled down and shot forward, feeling the cold air of the night blow into his face. Slamming his feet firmly, he aiming again and shot forward, removing his hooks as soon as he reached the top. Looking out to the vast space in front of him, he wondered again where she was from. It must have been somewhere in Wall Maria, given Achi's hints and outbursts. Shaking his head clear of the thought, he glanced to his left and to his right in the dark, barely seeing anything as it was now so late. Taking a guess, he put his foot forward, leading to the left and starting on his way. Carefully stepping on the stones of the Wall, he crossed over barricades and ramps, eased past cannons emplacements and, after a time, came to the section he believed was secluded enough for a person to be in. At first, he didn't see anything as he looked closely around, but a slight movement caused him to peer closer. Sitting on the edge of the Wall, staring out into the lost territory of Wall Maria, was Annie. He took note that her head was tilted toward a certain angle – as if she were focusing on one spot in particular. He gulped again and slowly approached.

"Annie?" he whispered, not wanting to startle her. "What are you-?" He stopped, noticing her twisting something on one of her fingers, her mind elsewhere. Now behind her, he desperately wanted to reach out and touch her on the shoulder, but resisted the urge. Instead, he peered over her shoulder to get a closer look at what she was twisting: a single banded metal ring, gold in color. Now too curious for his own good, he couldn't resist the urge to touch her, if only just once, and slowly edged his arm out. He barely came to touch the cloth of her shoulder before she abruptly stopped twisting the ring.

"Hey, what makes a person _good_?" she asked softly, still staring out. "Is it the heart that beats within their chest, unclogged and untarnished, or, is it the brain that resides inside their head, ever thinking and always working?" She had one of her piercing blue eyes trained on his face, waiting for answer. The eye wasn't just filled with one pure emotion – it contained a jumbled mix of different feelings all vying to find answers that she herself couldn't find alone. It gave him an uneasy feeling.

"Makes a person good?" he repeated the words, looking away briefly as he scratched the back of his head in thought. "Well, I don't really get what you're saying, but to me, what makes a person good is not what's in their heart or mind, but what they believe in and keep within themselves to live on. Everyone has their own idea of what a person should strive to be – or at least that's what my dad used to say." Smiling, he looked upon her with a friendly face. "I think, if you are doing what you have to survive, that's all that matters."

Annie blinked as the silence around them grew. After a moment, she opened her mouth to speak. "I see," taking one last look at the ring on her finger, she got up. "Doing what you have to in order to survive, huh? What you believe in?" Staring back into the area of Wall Maria, looking for one spot in particular, she bit her lip gently and exhaled.

Not wanting to see her seemingly depressed, Fritz touched her gently on the shoulder – unafraid this time. "We should head back, don't you think?"

Not looking at him, she responded. "Yes, that would be best."

Smiling still, Fritz let go of her shoulder and followed her as she took once last glimpse of the area within Wall Maria and headed off in the direction of the town. Staring at her back as they walked, Fritz couldn't help but wonder what she had meant by her words, and what, if anything, was the significance of the ring she had been twisting. Well, whatever it was, he resolved, he would make it his duty to understand her to the best of his abilities. Even if that meant taking his first step into hell, even if that meant learning the real Annie – he wanted to know, even if she didn't want him to. It was all too much for him at once and he shook his head to clear the thoughts as he followed Annie. Tomorrow was the start of even harsher training...

/-.-.-.-\

Fritz sneezed. If the nights at training camp weren't enough, now they had to go through snow! The rain had been easy enough, he could handle that, but this... _this_...

"You're getting snot all over the lantern!" Achi exclaimed, pulling it away from his grasp and holding it aloft. The snow had been piling up since they'd started in their groups of three and she wasn't in the mood of having to do anything extra besides trudging through it. "Do me a favor and go be disgusting somewhere else!"

"S-!" He sneezed and wiped a gloved hand on a nearby tree, using it as a support as he leaned up. "Sorry..." he said, trying his best to smile through chattering teeth.

"You ok, man?" Samuel asked, coming up beside him. Fritz nodded and Samuel nodded back, then motioned Achi over. "I'll hold the lantern so you can keep focused on taking us in the right direction."

Achi smiled and gladly handed the boy the lantern. As his hand grasped the handle, she scowled at Fritz and stuck out her tongue. "At least someone here is useful."

"Yeah yea-!" _Achoo_. He sneezed again. This time all over Achi.

"You stupid fucking bastard!" she yelled and punched him. Lifting her arm, there was visible green mucus all over her sleeve. Queasy, she wiped it on the tree Fritz was leaning on, panting from shouting so much in a short amount of time. Fritz backed away rubbing his stomach, acting like everything was better now that it was over.

Samuel stood there watching the scene and couldn't help but notice something. "You two are really good friends, ain't you?"

"Hell no!" the two of them protested in unison, then glared at one another. A death lock stare.

Samuel just kept on smiling, until Achi broke off the eye contact and huffed her way back onto the trail.

"We're going! Rest time over!" she shouted without looking at the two of them... or even stopping. Fritz and Samuel hurried to catch up.

"She really is your friend, isn't she?!" Samuel said to Fritz and the other boy looked to him then to Achi as he responded.

"Maybe... we... really... _are_..." He smiled.

/-.-.-.-\

Achi couldn't care less about the two of them now. All she cared about now as getting down the mountain to the facility. Her feet dragged in the snow and her fists were curled at her sides. _Why did I have to be stuck with two idiots_?! she whined in her head. _I wonder how Ymir and Krista are doing?! Do they have it as bad as me_?!

/-.-.-.-\

Ymir pulled the scarf she was wearing further up around her mouth and sniffed the air. It smelled like wet wood and charcoal. Her boots were knee deep in snow and she already disliked the cold. She hadn't wanted more of it. Looking over at Dazz, she wondered if he was going to be alright, but shrugged and, in the end, decided that it didn't matter. If he was smart, he'd tell someone about his condition and they'd move to assist him, but all he was doing was shivering where he stood. It irritated her. He was obviously freezing, but he didn't say anything.

Krista was concerned, albeit for different reasons than her own, and had stopped their trek to try and warm up. It was futile in this weather, but she hadn't listened.

_ The stupid girl_, Ymir thought as she leaned against a tree, its branches so frozen all she had to do was brush against them gently and they snapped clean off, _the more time we waste here the more time it'll take for us to get warm, not the other way around_!

Dazz was hindering their progress and she wanted to say something about it, but decided against it for fear of upsetting Krista. Plus, all of them had to make it for them to receive credit, so just abandoning him was out of the question, no matter how much she wanted to. She sighed and crossed her arms; it was going to be a long trek.

"Dazz, do you think you can make it the rest of the way?" Krista asked after they'd been resting for a bit.

Dazz rubbed his forearms and huddled his knees closer to himself. "Y-yes, I can manage," he replied through clenched teeth. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine... just fine...!"

Krista's face took on a worried expression and she glanced over at Ymir to see what her reaction was, but Ymir wasn't even paying attention. "Alright," she said as she went back to him, "I'll trust you." Coming forward, she bent down and touched his knee gently. It was ice cold. "But, if you don't feel alright later on, don't be afraid to tell me." Dazz nodded in understanding and Krista looked over at Ymir again. "You ready to go, Ymir?"

"I've been. The longer we sit here the shorter it takes us to freeze."

Krista nodded and pointed at the stretcher beside Ymir. It had a sleeping bag secured on it in case someone really needed to keep warm in the harsh weather. "Can you carry that the rest of the way, then?"

"Yeah," Ymir replied and hefted it behind her back by the strings attached to the front. "It won't be a problem." she said as she trudged forward. As she passed Krista, she couldn't help it and whispered into her ear. "But _he_ will be." Dazz was irritating her too much to be quiet about it. If the idiot couldn't hack it out here, then why did he come in the first place? Ymir looked back to see Krista glare briefly at her as she helped Dazz to his feet and scowled. _You know I'm right_.

/-.-.-.-\

The weather had started picking up since they'd left their resting area and the air around them was getting colder and colder. Snowballs and flakes peppered them as they trudged along, and Ymir looked up at the sky. _It's getting darker_, she observed and turned back to look at Krista and Dazz. They were moving too slowly. They'd never make it before morning to the lodges. Not really caring what they did anymore, she lifted the stretcher further up and continued down the trail they were taking. The trees around them were ominous in the light and reminded her of her time in the church. _But this is a different place, a better place than that shithole_, she thought and looked up at one of the mountains barely visibly through the treetops. _A better place_. Images from the past flashed through her head again and she bit down on the pain. She wasn't going to succumb to it anymore. Quickening her pace, she left the two of them behind as she only focused on getting to the lodges and out of the snow. _Away from the pain_. There were shouts behind her and she didn't bother to listen as she just kept going. After the pain started to subside again, her senses becoming clearer, she looked back to see how the other two were doing. All she saw was snow and trees. She cursed under her breath and started back.

/-.-.-.-\

Krista was frantically trying to lift Dazz when she heard Ymir approach with the stretcher.

"Y-Ymir, Dazz is-!"

"I told you he'd be a problem."

"Just get me the stretcher! Hand it to me!" Krista yelled and reached out for it.

Ymir shrugged and took it off her shoulders, laying it down in the snow. Krista took it and opened the sleeping bag, then tried putting Dazz into it, but he was too heavy for her. She looked up at Ymir with pleading eyes.

_Goddammit_. Ymir stepped forward and helped her haul Dazz into the sleeping back, then watched as she zipped it back up again. _He's more trouble than he's worth_. Turning on her heel, she stepped back onto the trail.

Krista had taken the lead and was dragging the stretcher behind her as it was too heavy for her to carry, especially now that a person was on it. Ymir glanced down at the sunken line she was making in the snow with her efforts and then looked back at her own footsteps. She was still irritated.

After a time, Krista was getting visibly worn out from dragging him along and Ymir could see how hard she was breathing by the cold air that was visible when it left her lungs everytime she took a breath. _Why try so hard for this loser_? she wondered and decided after a few moments more of walking to finally speak her mind; fully this time.

"Krista... give it up already." she said, but was only met with silence. "You listening?"

"I... will not... give... up!"

Ymir glanced down at Dazz, who's condition had gotten worse since they started moving. "Dazz is at death's door. A guy who couldn't even properly evaluate his physical limits shouldn't have come here in the first place, but he wanted praise and recognition and took this harsh training anyway." She looked back to Krista who had become silent again. "With a stupid approach like that, this is as far as he gets. It's as simple as that." Looking back down the trail, she pulled her scarf up to her nose. "If we keep walking at this snail's pace, he'll die for sure. And we, too, will be in a very real danger. We won't last till morning. So, there're two choices open to us." Back to Krista. "We leave Dazz and try to survive ourselves, or all three of us die here _together_." After another beat of silence, she spoke up again. "Your choice?"

"I choose the third option because the two choices you offer are _wrong_, Ymir. I'm going to reach the cabins at the foot of this mountain and save Dazz..." she glanced back to look Ymir in the eyes. "Of course, it'll be easier for me if you just go ahead and stop bugging me. What do you say to that?"

"I won't bug you, then."

"We'll make it there, I promise, so you can just go ahead, ok?"

Ymir didn't feel like listening to her and watched as Krista got more and more tired from dragging him as she was now panting hard and was slowing down.

"Hey..."

"Why are you still here?" she huffed as she turned to look back. "Go ahead or it'll be dangerous. So hurry up..."

"Hah?" Ymir removed the scarf from around her face. She gripped the lantern she'd lit tighter and stared at the one hanging from a stick on Krista's back and sniffed, tilting her head slightly. _She really didn't understand this girl_. "Say, why aren't you asking me for help? It should be glaringly obvious that between you with your childlike build and mine that it'd be a lot faster if I hauled him instead, no?" _No, she did understand her, more than she'd previously_; all too well. Ymir rushed forward and bent down into her face with a wicked grin that startled the shorter girl. "I thought so, _you're not really trying to save Dazz_, aren't you?" Silence. The two of them stood there in the snow. Ymir bent down again and leaned over to get a look at the other girl's face. "You said it yourself that it's gonna be dangerous, didn't you? Which means you're well aware that at this rate you're gonna die too, _aren't you_? And dying here is precisely what you want to accomplish here, right?" No response. "_Right_? You wanna make it so that I was left to spread the legend of one self sacrificial goddess Krista. No, _wait_, I'm probably reading a bit too much into it." She leaned closer into Krista's face so that even the slightest whisper could be heard. "That won't do, will it? Because Krista is a _good girl_, isn't she? So, you're probably honestly asking yourself what you can do to save this guy, without asking me to haul him, that is. Am I wrong?" Still, there was no response, but Ymir couldn't help but smirk anyways. The silence was enough. "You really want people to think that you're a good person who'd literally die for the sake of others. Cause if people get involved with you and end up dying... that would make you a bad, _bad girl_, wouldn't it?"

"Y-you're wrong... you're wrong! I would... never... I...!"

"Then it's you, isn't it? The illegitimate child of a mistress driven out of the house. A bastard's _bitch_. Am I wrong?" Krista looked down and didn't respond. "I'm not wrong, ain't I?"

"Why... how... do you..."

"Oh? The bull's eye, huh? It really is you." She watched as Krista clenched a fist at her side. "I happened to accidentally overhear a certain conversation, at a certain church in the innermost land when I was _borrowing_ money to keep on living. The dangerous kind of talk that no outsider was supposed to hear, that you were the heiress to a certain very important house. A direct descendant by blood, but born out of the wedlock which made you unacceptable as a successor for many of them. They thought everything would be _so much easier_ if you just got killed somehow, or simply, _disappeared_. Renouncing your name and living like an ordinary person, then they were willing to overlook your pathetic existence. And the girl they were talking about did just that. Changing her name and joining the military trainees after having been driven out of the house." Ymir leaned back and looked down at her. "But don't worry, I've no intention to tell this to anyone or to sell you out."

"Then," Krista looked up and her eyes were wide. "You joined the trainee squad just to be with me back then? To protect me? Why would you go to such lengths...?"

Ymir was taken aback. "Who... knows...? Maybe because we're alike?"

"Eh? You mean you experienced something similar in your life?"

"Well, kind of..."

"And because you became a soldier just like that because of me?"

Ymir looked away briefly. "Well, I don't really know for sure myself... no, that's not quite true either..."

"Did you... want to be friends with me?"

Ymir was startled. "Huh? No, that's not it... I didn't..." A sudden rage filled her and she got in Krista's face. "For one, you and me are _different_! When I got a second chance in life, I made a fresh start! But I never stooped so _fucking_ low as to renounce my real name! If I, Ymir, reject the person I was born as, it's as good as losing in life! I keep living under my own name and this is my revenge on life! My showing them all, that my _fate_ wasn't fucking sealed the moment I was born! And what the fuck did you do?! You completely surrendered! Even going so far as wanting to kill yourself! Do you want those bastards who treated you as a nuisance to be happy that badly,_ huh_?! Why'd you want to kill yourself instead of _them_?! If you really want to, it's possible to change even your _fate_!"

"N-no..." Krista reeled back from Ymir's sudden intensity. "No, it's not... even now... that's not...! There's no way for the three of us to get out of this situation safely, is there?!" She watched as Ymir started walking away.

"There is," she replied softly.

"Eh?"

She reached the slope of the trail and looked down as she put a hand on a nearby tree for support. "That light. The lodge is right beneath this cliff. We'll drop Dazz off here. If he's lucky, he'll land safely and people might discover him and help him just in time to save his loser of a life. There's no hope left for him. Well, outside of a miracle, anyway. Exposed to the elements like this for much longer and he'll just freeze to death like a bag worm."

"But if we drop him off the cliff, he'll only die from the fall-!"

"Shut the fuck up!" Ymir yelled and slammed her fist into the smaller girl's gut. "I'll do it and you can go ahead alone!" she said and raced off while dragging Dazz behind her. She could hear Krista screaming for her to stop but she wasn't listening and in no time at all reached the cliff face and peered down it. She couldn't believe she was going to use it. _Damn that girl_.

Biting down into the flesh of her frosty thumb, she jumped off the cliff with Dazz and transformed into the monster she never wanted to be again. She grasped Dazz tightly between her claws and braced for the impact as they hit the bottom. Making a giant imprint in the snow and enough noise to alert someone at the lodging, she hastily threw Dazz down and raced off to transform back into the girl she just was. _She wanted to stay that way_.

/-.-.-.-\

Later, she watched as Krista came up to the lodging finally and stretched her arms. "Took you long enough. I made it here awhile ago." She clutched the side of her head. There was still resuscitating pain that was lingering from her transformation earlier. "I really... did a stupid thing... didn't I?"

"What about Dazz?!" Krista shouted and Ymir got up and motioned for her to follow. She opened a door to one of the buildings and inside was Dazz with a medical team monitoring his condition.

"He survived... a fall, from the _cliff_?" Krista commented in disbelief as they walked away from the building. "B-but... you had no rope... with a cliff that high it would be useless anyway, but still, how did you manage to get Dazz down safely...?" she asked.

Ymir fixed her with a grave eye. "Well... I guess... I could tell you..." she replied after a beat. "But first, you have to promise me something. When I reveal this secret of mine, you claim back your real name and live back under it. Understand?"

Krista nodded and Ymir went back to focusing on walking. She didn't want to have to bring up this conversation again. Achi was waiting for them by the sleeping quarters to discuss the events of the day...

/-.-.-.-\

Now, they were all in bed and sleeping in their bunks, the snow outside mixed in with a bout of rain that had blown through suddenly. Ymir tossed and turned in her sleep. She was having a dream of when she'd been a monster.

_ Ymir. Ymir. Ymir._

The Titans had chanted and the noise of it all was ringing in her ears and she couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't...! Sitting up with a start, she looked over and blinked. Sitting near the window, it looked familiar. She twitched. The angel from back then. It was sitting there and gazing out the window. _The power in a name. Names have power_. She shook her head and blinked again, the angel was gone, replaced with Krista who was huddled on a chair inside her blanket and Ymir turned over. _Goddammit..._

"Hey..." she said softly. "That gloomy feeling you're giving off is coming my way."

"Sorry..."

"Could you at least get back in your bed and count the nicks in the ceiling if you can't sleep?"

"Yeah... I..."

Ymir sighed. "You know, you have this strange combination of grace and melancholy. Like a goddess. However, there are times when you take too much pride in your misfortune like back with Dazz and you'd better watch that. _It pisses me off_."

"I didn't mean to upset you back then, Ymir, honest."

Ymir laughed cruelly. "Everyone knows that you're the cutest and most deserving of everyone's fucking pity. And since you're well aware of that you shouldn't go out of your way to drag it out like that."

"Then... what am I supposed to...?" Krista spun around to look at her.

"How the hell should I know? Go back to sleep already!"

Krista got up and did as she was told, settling in her bed. "I'm not angry, you know..." she said softly.

"What?"

"I was never angry, about what happened before..."

Ymir glanced over in her direction and caught a glimpse of her blonde hair, then quickly turned back around. "You two look alike..." she said after a moment."

"Huh?"

"You look like this statue I saw in a church a long time ago."

Krista's eyes widened in surprise. "Is my face really that masculine looking?" she asked as she touched around her cheeks.

"No, that isn't it..."

"Then what did her face look like?"

"She had that look, that look that made you want to reach out and hold her to warm her up."

After another beat of silence, Krista spoke up again. "I'd like to see that statue some day..."

"You can't."

"Why not? Is it gone? Isn't it still there?"

Ymir remembered losing herself back then and smashing it to pieces. No, she hadn't done that, had she? It was still there.

"Just forget about it."

"But-"

"I said to just forget about it! Go to fucking sleep already!" she shouted as loud as she dared and shut the other girl up. She pulled her blanket closer to her body and stared out the window at the rain as it hit the window and distorted everything outside. _Yes, she really didn't understand this girl. Yet __she__..._

/-.-.-.-\

Annie sat up in her bunk. She couldn't sleep. The rain peppering the window kept her awake. It reminded her of Fritz, the rain...

_The day's exercise involved trudging through harsh conditions in groups, from point A to point B. Last time it had been rain, this time it was snow. Each group was a pair of three's and __her two partners had been Connie and Mina.__From observing them __during the trek, __she__'d__ summarized two things. The first, was that Connie had to be either very brave, or very stupid, to be in the snow without the appropriate clothing on. The second, was how much Mina cared for the safety of her fellow trainees, but Annie wished she'd worry about herself __more.__What was the use of caring for others' well-being if you couldn't take care of your own first? _

_They __had__ reached the cabins __in a few hours __and __had__ met up with Ymir and Krista who were already there. __Along the way, they'd encountered Sasha, Jean, and Armin and helped them to fend off some wolves that had attacked because of Sasha's "needs". Jean had been injured during the confrontation, having been bitten in the leg._

_She__'d__ helped Armin bring Jean into the cabin Dazz was hold up in and left as soon as he was situated. __She __sat with __Mina__ and the rest as they all waited for the other groups to arrive. __Waiting for Fritz. __The whole time it took him to arrive with his two partners, he'd been thinking about him._

She pulled her blanket closer to her chest. When had she starting thinking of Fritz so much, so often? Wanting to wait for him...? That wasn't like her at all. So, then, _why_? Looking at the rain outside, she was again reminded on his stupid face.

_ Fritz..._


	4. A Promise Sharp As A Knife

**Chapter Four: A Promise Sharp As A Knife**

"Too slow," Annie remarked as Fritz lunged for her. She dived under his arms and simultaneously swiped his feet from under him. As he lost his balance she came up and twisted his arm behind his back, pinning him to the hard ground of the training field. He grunted and smirked as he waved the wooden knife still clutched in his grasp.

"I still have the knife, you have to disarm me." he said, then used his strength to roll over and drag Annie around in the dirt as he tried to break free. She held firm, and didn't let go until he managed to move one of his arms. She moved her free arm over his chest, locking them together as they struggled. As they continued to kick up dirt and dust, Fritz poised the wooden knife at an angle and rolled over again, poking Annie hard in the side. She gasped in surprise from the sudden pain. Immediately letting go, she pushed him off and stood up; rubbing the spot where he'd jabbed her. _It was sure to leave a bruise_. Scowling, she looked down at him with her piercing blue eyes and continued to rub it as he slowly sat up and waved the knife at her. "You didn't..." he panted, "get the knife. Chief Instructor Shardis said you have to disarm me or it doesn't count."

"That hurt. To think you'd not hesitant to harm someone weaker than yourself," she commented, watching the knife as he continued to wave it at her. _It annoyed her_.

"Yeah yeah, can you help me up?"

She obliged and stuck out her hand. He grunted as he got to his feet; he was sore as well.

The morning's exercise was more hand to hand combat skills and techniques, just like they've mostly been doing since the second year of training had started. It was still early in the year, so they still had more to do and Annie just wasn't as cooperative as she should be. Today they were learning how to properly disarm an opponent if they brandished a weapon and what to do once they've been disarmed, but Annie would rather do nothing and skip it altogether. That was when Fritz had approached her and pissed her off like he usually succeeded in doing. He had mocked and coaxed her to the point where she had been ready to bash his face in as they both sat by her usual perch by the broken fence; the pile of logs and the tree.

Waving the knife in her face repeatedly, asking her stupid questions, the grin he always has on his face, and that _damned_ knife. It annoyed her to no end. It didn't help that the one holding it was Fritz, the most annoying person she'd ever encountered thus far in her life, the one she was always wondering _why_ about.

She agreed to be his partner so he'd shut up – his humming had been the last straw. Really, she was wanting to just beat him to the ground instead of actually listening to what he had been explaining to her about how to disarm him in the most quickest way possible. That was before he'd lunged at her. Now, she stared at his happy face with rage, still watching him as he now waved the knife directly in front of her face. _It pissed her off_.

"Quit doing that," she barked, fixing him with murderous eyes.

"Disarm me and I'll stop," Fritz retorted, pulling his hand back as Annie suddenly lunged at him. "Too slow!" he echoed her words, smirking. Waving the knife again, he pointed it towards her chest and lowered his stance. "I'm going to come at you again! You ready?" She didn't respond, so he let out a yell to distract her as he struck forward. As soon as he came within striking distance he spun on his heel and ducked out of the way of a high kick from her, springing up and swinging the knife – aiming for the side of her head. She dodged to the right and shot out her elbow, going for stomach. Blocking with his free hand, he pushed on her elbow and caused her to stagger back; overpowering her with strength. She did a low swipe as soon as he did so, wanting to get him to the ground swiftly. He didn't have time to avoid the attack as her leg impacted with his foot; she had gotten him off his feet. Not wanting to lose just yet, he grabbed the back of her jacket's hood and pulled her down with him – slamming his forehead into hers as they tumbled.

Grimacing, Fritz went to strike her again with the knife, this time aiming for her side, and gasped in surprise as she shot her hand out and caught his arm mid swing. Now grappling with one another, they rolled around as Annie was trying to pry the knife free from his grip and earning a knee to the stomach in the process. She grunted, really ticked off at this point, and brought a fist down on his side. The impact just increased his determination as he tried moving the arm holding the knife for another strike. She wouldn't let go though, and he quickly gave up the idea in favor of rolling on top of her. Grabbing for the collar of her uniform, he pulled her up – staring directly into her eyes with his own. "You have to... get the knife...!" he grumbled, managing to bend his knife arm. She gripped tighter and didn't let him bend it any further.

"You're... annoying...!" she growled. After a few more seconds of struggling, she was fed up. "Fine!" Letting go of his arm, she lunged at the collar of his uniform, using the momentum to kick him off. He flew backward and made a hard landing; wincing as he slide. She was on top of him now, arms locked around his neck and their cheeks almost touching. "I'll get the knife then," she whispered into his ear and he couldn't help but blush. She scowled in response and suddenly widened her eyes in surprise as his lips came into contact with hers. Abruptly stopping, she let go and bounced back as she got up, wiping her mouth. The expression on her face said that he was a dead man breathing. "_You..._"

"Ah! I'm sorry! That wasn't one purpose!" he protested, holding up his hands and shaking his head as he sat up. "I didn't mean to-!" He screamed in surprise as she stuck her foot out and struck his shin as hard as she could. Friz gasped, grabbed his shin and fixed her with watery eyes. "Ow! What the hell!" He staggered to his feet, winced from the injury and put up his fists – entering a defensive posture. "That really hurt," he mumbled through clenched teeth, the knife between his teeth now. Bracing himself as she came at him again, moving slowly from his injury. He tried to leap out of the way as she went for a high kick to his leg, but the injury to his shin was worse than he had thought and he staggered, then grunted in agony as she hit the same leg higher up. Bowing on one knee, eyeing her with deadly eyes, he bit down harder on the knife. She sprang forward and uppercutted him in the stomach a second later. He opened his mouth to gasp from the pain and she took the opportunity to snatch the knife away. She then pushed on his chest so he'd fall backward but he regained his composure enough to stop the fall by outstretching his arms. Gazing up at her holding the knife, he tried his best to smile through the pain he felt. "Good... I see you got the knife," he said, panting.

"Now you'll stop waving it," she remarked, then grimaced when she saw him smirk. She was panting too.

"That was a good fight," he said, looking up into her face. He suddenly blushed as his eyes rested on her lips and quickly looked away.

Looking away herself, not wanting to admit she was blushing as well, Annie tossed the knife back to him. "Waste of my time..." she grumbled under her breath, giving him one last glance before turning on her heel to leave.

"Hey! Where are you going!" he called after her and tried to rise. The injuries to his leg prevented him from doing so and he frowned, glancing to the wooden knife in front of his feet then watched as she walked away. Footsteps approached from behind.

"She always gets ticked off whenever you're around," a girl's voice said, causing him to twist around. He made a face when he saw it was just Achi. She scowled and leaned forward with her hands on her hips. "What the hell's that look for?!" she shouted, jabbing a finger in his face. "You should really stop doing that!"

"Doing what?"

"Ticking her off!" Achi replied, shaking her head at his stupidity. "It's obviously not working in your favor!"

"Says you!"

"Yeah, I do say, you stupid bastard! Nothing good will come of just making her angry like that!"

"What do you know about it?!" he shouted back, yelping his surprise as she yanked on his uniform, pulling him closer.

"More than you could ever hope to know," she growled, letting go. "Just remember: don't put your trust in her, you don't know anything about her." With that said, she turned on her heel to leave, flipping one of her twin-tails.

Fritz reached after her and called out for her to stop. "Hey! Wait!"

She looked back, frowning. "What?"

"What do you mean by-"

"You don't need to know. It doesn't concern you!"

"But-!"

"It's none of your _damned_ business!"

Lowering his hand, he didn't want to piss her off like with Annie before – he had suffered enough pain already – and instead rubbed his shin. "Alright! I get it!" Scratching the back of his head and trying to laugh it off he changed topics. "So then, where's the person you're training with?" He didn't see anyone waiting for her.

"She's stretching." Achi replied, clicking her tongue and indicating to the tall girl with her back turned. He immediately recognized her as Ymir. "We were watching you two the whole time. She didn't want to get involved so I came over by myself."

"To check on me?"

"No, to see if you had died. I was going to kick you to make sure, but I didn't get the chance."

"Gee, thanks," Fritz sniffed. "Can you help me up?" he asked, holding up a hand.

Achi stared at his hand as she blinked once. "_No._"

He shouted after her as she walked away to where Ymir waited. She didn't look back. Contorting his face in disbelief, he watched her with his mouth open; _she was just as stubborn as Annie_!

Not wanting to think about her anymore, he went back to tending to his injuries until he heard a yelp from behind. Spinning around, he saw Eren clutching his knee and staggering forward holding a wooden knife. He grimaced as he stood up, stumbled a bit and turned around to face his opponent: Annie Leonhart. He said something to himself as she looked over to Reiner, who was standing next to them.

"Can I go now?" she asked, fists clenched at her sides.

"No, this training doesn't end until you grab the knife!"

She sighed, glancing back to Eren. Fritz knew what was about the happen next. The wooden knife already annoyed her enough as it was, he had made sure of that. He hadn't meant to piss her off, just get her to train like everyone else, and he winced as Annie flipped Eren over – taking the knife from him simultaneously as he landed on his back. He watched as she tossed the knife to Reiner and told him it was his turn. Reiner lowered the knife and held up a hand in protest.

"No, I..." he stopped what he was about to say as Eren said something that caused him to look in his direction and, after a moment, he looked back to Annie and closed his eyes. "Yeah. Sometimes, a soldier can't retreat," opening his eyes, he lunged forward at her with the knife. "_Like now_!" It was all over a few seconds later as he was left in the same position as Eren, who had since gotten to his feet.

"That was amazing! Where did you learn that?" he asked, gawking. She moved a strand of hair out of her face and stopped in her tracks.

"My father," she replied without turning around. Fritz smirked in surprise and understanding. _Just like his own_. He was curious now more so than ever and continued to listen to their conversation.

"Your dad taught you that?"

"It doesn't matter," she said flatly, turning to look at him now. "There isn't any point in doing this."

"You mean this exercise?"

Annie looked away, staring over at Fritz as she responded. "Martial arts won't improve your score. You should just go through the motions."

Fritz blinked, not sure if she was talking about himself or someone else. She noticed his confusion and fixed him with cold eyes as she continued to talk to Eren.

"The only ones allowed to join the Military Police and go deep within the Walls are those who rank in the final top ten. The only ones who take this seriously are either people like you, who do whatever they're told, or real idiots."

It was at that moment that Fritz heard Sasha and Connie to his left, seeing the Chief Instructor lift Connie by the sides of his face into the air as Sasha shrunk away with her arms raised. He tried his best to stifle his laugh and abruptly snapped his eyes back to Annie and Eren as he heard Eren grunt in surprise. Annie had taken the opportunity to twist his hand and angle it to where the knife was pointed at his neck. Fritz listened closely to her next words – his laugh had died in his throat.

"For whatever reason, the better equipped you are to fight Titans, the farther you're assigned from them. Where do you think this _farce_ begins?" She said loud enough for Fritz to hear and Eren shouted in anger and tried to twist her arm to free himself but only managed to get his legs kicked from under him and her form looming over his, continuing to twist his hand towards his neck. "Isn't it because that is how humans really _are_?" Getting up, she held the knife to her chest and clicked her tongue in annoyance, looking over at Fritz. "Anyway, I'm not stupid enough to enjoy playing soldiers in this _shitty_ world." With that she turned on her heel and walked in Fritz's direction, holding the knife at her side. Reiner and Eren stared after her before going back to discuss what just happened among themselves.

As Annie approached, Fritz could feel a frightening aura emanating from her and he held out his hand, not believing what she had said was true. He would try to understand her, no matter what she or anyone else thought.

"Hey, Annie, can you help me up?" he asked, staring up into her face. She stared down at him for a second as she stopped in front of him. She obliged and helped him to his feet. He held out his hands in a gesture of thanks before frowning. "You didn't actually mean any of that stuff you said, right?"

She was silent for a moment before she responded. "Does it matter if I meant it or not? What I said was the truth, and that's all that matters," she waved the knife in her hand in front of his face, "come on, now it's your turn to disarm _me_." He gulped, not sure how things were going to turn out. _She was still pissed_.

/-.-.-.-\

Later that same day, Fritz was staring down at his plate full of food – sitting with Sasha and Lund of all people. He was trying to block out Lund's talk of the proper techniques to take down an opponent and when to disarm them as he occasionally glanced at Sasha; who was stuffing her face. Looking around the room, he spotted everyone just chatting and eating together like always and frowned as soon as he came upon Mina's table. She was talking to a disinterested Annie who looked about ready to fall asleep. The girl sitting next to Mina, a girl with brown hair and glasses, he didn't recognize. Shouting caused him to peel his eyes away from Mina and her table. Eren and Jean were arguing again and, as he looked around, everyone was now watching the two of them as well. It was at that moment that Eren slammed his fist on his table and knocked over his bowl of soup.

"You piece of shit!" he shouted, stepping forward as Jean also got to his feet.

"Shut up! This is reality!" Jean shouted back as Eren grabbed him by the collar. Armin yelled for the both of them to stop as Mikasa stood up, aiming to break up the fight before it got any worse.

"Stop," she said, removing Eren's hand from Jean's shirt collar. As she looked at him until he looked away, Jean reached forward and pulled on his shirt in frustration and jealousy.

"Screw you!"

"Let go! My clothes will rip!"

"Who cares about your clothes?! I'm so _envious_!"

"Huh!? What are you talking about?!" Eren said, grabbing his hand and pushing him off. He then proceeded to move his free arm across Jean's neck and kick his legs from under him. Fritz recognized it immediately as an incomplete move of one of Annie's techniques. Jean grunted in surprise as his head slammed onto the wooden floor of the mess hall.

"What the hell was that?" he shouted, sitting up and holding the back of his head as he winced.

"The martial arts I went through a world of hurt to learn while you were screwing around! You think taking the easy way out, doing as you please, is _reality_?" He clenched his fists at his side, disgusted. "And you call yourself a _soldier_?" Nobody said a word as time stopped for a few seconds, the two of them stared at one another, then the door to the mess hall creaked open.

"I heard quite a commotion." Chief Instructor Shardis said, as everyone scrambled into their seats. "Would someone like to _explain_?" Mikasa raised her hand.

"That sound was Sasha's fart."

Fritz heard Sasha gasp in surprise, her mouth open as she sat dumbfounded from hearing such a lie. Unlike most of the other trainees in the room, he wasn't trying to stifle his laughs. He wasn't even laughing at all. As soon as the Chief Instructor had left, he watched as Sasha ran over to Mikasa in protest. It was then that Lund pulled his attention away from her.

"I almost feel sorry for her," he said, adjusting his glasses. Fritz frowned, why didn't he just get new glasses since he always had to keep adjusting the ones he wore? "She's always on the tail end of everyone's jokes."

"Is that so? Well _I_ don't joke about her as everyone else does."

"Yeah, you're usually the one who's at the tail end with her."

Fritz scowled, not wanting to listen to him anymore. Instead, he looked over to Mina's table and caught her eye. She smiled and waved to him, and he smiled back – but curious glances from others caused him to abruptly look away. Still trying to block out Lund's babbling, he decided to search around the room again. Jean and Eren were both silent, which was a first, and Mikasa was shoving bread in Sasha's face – which just looked wrong. He didn't want to linger on the scene and looked around the room a third time, this time hoping to spot Achi – he'd never seen her eat with everyone else. Maybe she was too short to spot, but he knew her auburn hair wasn't hard to pick out in a crowd – even if her height was. After a minute or two of searching, his eyes finally resting upon Ymir's table. The only ones sitting at it were herself, Krista, and, upon a second look – _Achi_! He smirked, her personality was similar to Ymir's alright, no wonder they'd be sitting together. Then again, Ymir was the type to – it must have been Krista who insisted. Everyone loved her, but Ymir wouldn't let them get close. Fritz didn't feel any affection for the blonde haired girl, the "Goddess", besides friendship and was content to leave it at that. It was then that Krista felt eyes on her and looked up from her food, meeting eyes with him. He cursed under his breath – he'd been unconsciously staring in her direction as he thought. How was he going to get out of the situation, especially now that she did a cute wave at him. He blushed, not meaning to, and quickly tried to hide it as Ymir turned around to stare in his direction. Seeing him cower behind his plate, she fixed with hateful eyes and stood up. This caused Achi to look up from her own plate and she scowled upon seeing it was Fritz. It was _always_ Fritz.

"What the hell are you staring at? Huh?" Ymir asked, fists clenched at her sides. She took a step forward as Fritz moved his plate to reveal his face.

"Nothing, I was just-"

"Being a pervert," Achi interjected. "He has a fetish for staring at others." She was back to eating her food, not bothering to look anymore. It didn't concern her, after all. Fritz knew she was silently laughing to herself though; at him. In that moment, he resented her. He hated her. In fact, he hated them all as he glanced around with spiteful eyes. He'd never felt that way before and it scared him for some reason.

Everyone was silent then. She had made the atmosphere worse. Fritz didn't like the intense staring from everyone and really didn't like the death threats Ymir was giving him with her hands. He stood up, not wanting to deal with anyone anymore. Storming off from the table, he headed for the door. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Mina get up too, worried, but saw Annie stop her, insisting to go herself. That scared him all the more – what was she going to do to him? As he left the mess hall, he heard Mina call to her from inside.

"What are you going to do!?"

"Beat his ass," Annie retorted. She was at the door by that point. That was all Fritz heard before he started off at a run.

He ran to the only place he felt comfortable in – the pile of logs and the tree by the broken fence. It was late in the night as he finally approached the spot, and sighed with relief – he was safe for now. Resting a hand on one of the logs, he stopped to catch his breath. He decided it best to wait out here for the night until everything cooled down and it was safe to go back to everyone. Frowning, he slumped against one of the logs and he sat down. Achi had made the whole situation worse, but it had been his fault in the first place – he shouldn't have been thinking about Krista, it made him stare at whomever he was thinking about. It was a bad habit he couldn't break. It had also gotten him into trouble countless times before. It was then that he remembered the times when his older brother had spilled cold water down his shirt for staring at strangers in Trost because he had been thinking of what they did for a living too much and creeping them out. There was also the time when Ines had straight decked him in the jaw when she'd caught him peeping at her; purely by accident – he was just wondering what she did after her trip home from the Scouting Legion. _How could he know she was bathing_?! She usually came by every once and awhile to see her family, albeit briefly, before heading back out again. He didn't know where she was now, or even if she had met with his mother and Sofie in the past two years. The last year he'd been at his house, she'd only visited once that entire year. It worried him.

Sighing to himself, he didn't want to even think about his family anymore as he stared at nothing in particular; waiting. Someone knocking on the pile of logs startled him, and he was too afraid to see who it was. He didn't have to, as the person spoke up herself.

"Hey, you going to sit there all night?" Annie asked, leaning against the tree now. He didn't respond, so she scowled. "Are you listening to me?" she said, looking at him with one eye closed. "You'll only get sick if you stay out here. It gets cold at night."

"I thought you came here to beat me up," Fritz replied quietly.

"No, I actually came here to talk. If you want, I can beat you up too..."

"No, that's alright! Forget I said anything!" He held up his hands as if to ward off evil and scooted further away.

"Uh-huh."

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Fritz asked, turning his head to look at her. He heard her sigh softly.

"I want to know something," she said, staring out into the darkness. She was silent for a minute or two, and Fritz scooted closer – his curiosity getting the better of him.

"And that is...?"

Annie glanced in his direction, scowling at how close he was now. "I wanted to know where you stand."

"But I'm sitting."

"No, _idiot_, I want to know what your thoughts are on everyone else here. Do you resent them, treat them as your enemy, view them as scum?"

"Well..." he scratched the back of his head at such an odd question. "No, not really. Sometimes, like now, I'm treating them as my enemy... and with a little resentment. Especially Achi..."

At the mention of Achi's name, Annie's eyes flashed in pain – as if just mentioning the girl's name caused her to hurt. It was gone a split second later, and Fritz wondered if he was just seeing things. "Is that so?" she said, turning to look out into the darkness again. "Then, can I ask you something?"

"A confession?"

"_No_. Say that again and I'm really going to beat you up."

"Got it. Sorry."

"What I wanted to ask was this: would you be willing to treat this whole world as your enemy with me?"

He didn't understand. "Huh?"

Crossing her arms, she got closer to him. "You said you treated them as your enemy, that you resented them..."

"Well yeah, but-"

"So then, do you want to rid the world of scum like you and I together?" He was silent. This wasn't a side of Annie he's seen before. Was this her true self? Staring at him with both eyes now, she leaned into his face. "The people in this world who don't deserve to live, who betray the kindness of others, and who don't giving hating people a second thought. The normal _scum_ of society."

He couldn't believe this was really Annie, it freaked him out a little. She was never this serious about anything before, well besides martial arts of course, and he gulped, not sure how respond. After a minute of eye contact, he looked away for the intensity. "_I..._" he stared out into the darkness himself, "don't really get what you're trying to say, but..." looking back to her, he smiled. "I want to know more about you, Annie, and if that means treating the whole world as my enemy, then so be it." He didn't want to really believe that of course, but now he _had_ to know more about her. What was really going on in that head of hers? What secrets about herself was she hiding? Where was the true Annie inside? Was she hiding from everyone? Was she locked inside of a dark cage at the pit of her heart, only ready to come out if someone reached down into that darkness and presented the key? Opened the lock? Determination swept itself across his features as he reached for her cheek. She reared back, arms still crossed.

"What the hell are you doing?" she stammered, blushing and not meaning to. She scowled at this realization. "Don't get ahead of yourself, we're not partners yet." Glancing at him, she let a small smile play her lips. "We're just _two pieces of scum_ in this _shitty_ world with like minds." Holding out her hand, she helped him to his feet. "So, what do you say?"

"Yes, I accept." He wanted to know. He _needed_ to know. He wanted to be that key. He _needed_ to be that key. He wanted to open that cage. He _needed_ to open that cage. It had to be him and nobody else. Understanding her was his top priority now, other than his finding his sister. Feeling the warmth of her hand, he smiled. She wasn't a cold monster or an unfeeling phantom – she was just a girl and that was all there was to it.

She scowled at his happy face. "Quit staring at me like that," she complained and slapped his hand away. Turning on her heel, she started to walk away into the gloom. After a second, she glanced over her shoulder to see him still standing there. "Come on, it's cold out here. Let's go back inside."

Fritz shook his head free of his thoughts, reaching a hand out. "But I thought dinner was already over!" he shouted back, stepping forward.

"I never said we'd be going back to the mess hall," she replied, scowling. Under her breath, Fritz heard her say the word "idiot" again and couldn't help but smile. As she started off again, he called out to her to wait and ran after her. He continued to smile as he followed behind, staring at the small bun tied at the back of her blonde hair that dipped out in three directions.

_ She really was a girl, after all_.

/-.-.-.-\

Petra stared down at her blood soaked hands as the medical officer tried reviving the man beside her. _We've gotten nowhere again_, she thought, tears welling in her eyes. _Another failure_. She wiped the blood onto the grass, glancing over at the man. He was already dead, so why was the medical officer trying so hard to revive him? What was the point? The man's leg was gone, ripped off at the knee cap, bits of bone and muscle tissue visible underneath the fabric of his pants. Turning to look at Captain Levi, his stock expression of indifference, she stopped her shaking. She needed to be strong, she needed to be more like the Captain! Wiping away her tears, she stood up as a familiar hand grasped her on the shoulder.

"Petra, thank you for accompanying me and my squad against Erwin's orders, I appreciate it." Captain Ines, leader of the Special Investigation Squad, and one of her best friends, said softly, staring into her eyes. "Don't dwell on the dead; focus on what's most important right at this moment: the living."

Petra nodded her understanding, but couldn't help but glance back down at the dead man. "I know that, Ines, it's just... so hard... not to... that I..." she paused to compose herself. "I'm fine, forget it." She sighed and looked around. "What do you think Kalia is up to? You think she's still a part of Pixis's Guard along with Anka?" Petra asked suddenly, wanting to change subjects. Kalia was her other best friend, and together, they had formed a trio back during their trainee days.

Blinking rapidly, Ines followed her gaze briefly. "I'm sure... that Kalia is right where she wants to be in life. There's no need to worry about her when she's so far away, protecting the Walls. Right now, you and I, we, need to be heading back. The Legion needs to be heading back; this expedition is over."

Petra nodded again and bit down on her lip, clenching a fist. Ines was right, they had to keep moving, even if that meant leaving the dead behind. They still had a priority to the living. She looked up at the clouds slowly moving across the sky, wondering if the sacrifices were worth all the pain.

/-.-.-.-\

Riecka, Captain Ines's second in command of the Special Investigation Squad, plopped down on the carcass of a dead horse and stared at her blade, which had become dull from overuse. Frowning, she ran a finger along the edge – it wasn't even sharp enough to nick anymore.

"Squad, we're moving out, get your Gear together at once!" the Captain shouted, and Riecka flicked something out of her ear, not really listening. "Did you hear me, Riecka?" Ines asked, coming around. "You can sharpen that later." The dead horse wasn't fazing her in the slightest, and Riecka smirked; that was why she was their Captain, after all. Always calm, collected, and focused. She looked up into her dark brown eyes with silent recognition.

"Your brother, the one who Zena had said was going to join the military last year, how's he holding up?" she asked, wondering if the two were similar in any way. If so, then meeting the boy was going to be interesting...

"I wouldn't know until I get back and ask someone who does."

"Oh? Does he know where you are then?"

"Probably not, he's not the brightest in my family, but I will say that he is the most determined. That boy never gives up no matter the odds stacked against him," Ines replied, and having grown seemingly tired of discussing about her still surviving brother, she left without another word, moving on to Larrens and Alger, who were going over what supplies were left for the trip back.

Chuckling to herself, Riecka continued to look at her dulled and worn out blade. _Yes, that boy was going to be an interesting sight to see indeed..._


	5. Graduates

**Chapter Five: Graduates**

Fritz stood near the front of the two hundred and eighteen trainees who had survived the three grueling years of training together. Over that time, he had grown physically to a height of one hundred and seventy four centimeters and gained a clearer understanding of those around him.

All throughout the three years he had been regarded as an idiot, often lumped together with the likes of Sasha Blouse and Connie Springer. It wasn't necessarily true, but it wasn't false either. Out of all the Brandt children, excluding Sofie, he was the slowest one with Ines being the fastest. His martial arts skills were the mostly on par with Annie Leonhart's; considered one of the best within the 104th Trainee Squad at hand to hand combat. The thing he lacked was a proper coordination of his 3D Maneuver Gear as with the likes of Jean Kirschstein and Mikasa Ackerman; his skill was decent, at best. Now, he proudly stood with all of the other two hundred and seventeen trainees to await the end of the graduation ceremony, which would finally complete their three years worth of hard practice and exercise.

The night air was cold as the trainees stood in front of the Instructors. Illuminated by fires on either side were the top ten trainees that had shown the best scores out of the Squad. Fritz was watching Annie in particular – she had made it to fourth place. He probably hadn't even made it to twenty, given his scores. It disappointed him, but he was glad she had made it instead. Almost everyone else he expected to be was up there, given who they were. He didn't expect Sasha, Connie, or Krista to be picked though – and where was Ymir? _Her score was easily higher than Krista's_! He glanced in her direction, but her expression and posture revealed nothing. A clearing of the Lead Instructor's throat in front of Shardis snapped his attention back to the ceremony.

"_Dedicate your hearts_!" he shouted loud enough so that everyone could hear clearly. They all saluted in return and stood straight, waiting patiently for his next words. "Today, you trainee graduates will be given three choices. You can join the Garrison, protecting the towns and reinforcing the Walls. There is also the Scouting Legion, who risk their lives beyond the Walls, in Titan territory. Finally, the Military Police, who serve the King, lead the people, and protect internal order. Of course, only the top ten students, whose names were just announced, can join the Military Police."

/-.-.-.-\

Later, after the ceremony had ended, all the trainees gathered in the ceremony hall for drinks and to chat. After all, they had earned it. As Fritz walked into the room, a grin played itself across his face as he greeted people he knew and got a drink. Taking a sip, he scanned the room looking for Annie, finally spotting her sitting by herself at one of the tables in the center of the room. He made eye contact.

Over the course of the last two years, they've been meeting with each other and practicing their skills and rarely anything else. She had revealed so little about her past, but he did confirm that she was from a village in Wall Maria that had gotten overrun by Titans. She had been one of the only survivors. She had told him about her father and his harsh training methods – what she did in her free time. Little things. He, in turn, had told her about his family, where he was from, his own father, and even a bit about himself – like the fact that he had a staring problem. Though, he hadn't been sure if she had been listening at all, she mostly kept her thoughts to herself. It was like her, and yet, it also wasn't good to hide everything. He knew that from experience. Still, he was glad to call her his friend and he wondered if she too viewed him as such. Taking another sip of his drink, he averted his eyes and searched around for Achi, finding Lund instead. Earlier, Lund had told him that he'd be joining the Garrison and Fritz thought it fit him well. The Walls could use someone like him protecting them, a person with a lot of good ideas and approaches to bring to the table, even if the person himself was pretty odd. Actually, he was a weirdo, but that didn't detract from the fact that he was intelligent and focused on his tasks. Fritz stopped staring at him and continued to search for Achi, finally finding her sitting alone like Annie, drinking the same thing he was. It was cider. Not strong, very mild, not enough to make any of them tipsy in the slightest. Though, he was worried for the ones like Sasha and Connie – who kept drinking the stuff like there was no tomorrow. Going back to Achi, he wondered what part of the military she was going to join. If he had to guess – the Scouting Legion, along with himself. She had the talent and the personality. She was ferocious and headstrong, _stubborn_, and he thought she'd fit in the ranks just fine.

/-.-.-.-\

Achi felt someone's gaze pinning her down and looked up, meeting the idiot in question's eyes. She scowled as he smiled in greeting, going back to her drink. _That stupid bastard_, she thought, gripping her cup tightly, _that girl isn't someone you should be getting involved with_! _A liar, a betrayer, someone like Annie isn't someone you can trust_. Though, deep down, she knew that she still cared for the girl somewhat, leftover rubbish from their time together as best friends. All distant memories to her that she'd rather forget, burned into ashes and the rest crumbling to dust a long time ago. Yet...

/-.-.-.-\

Earlier in the year, Fritz had heard from his mother that Ines had visited the house and that she was her usual self – despite being almost twenty five already. He hadn't heard anything about her commenting on his enlistment into the military, but guessed that she had expected it after Lex. As he stood by himself, contemplating, the growing crowd around Eren was growing steadily as he was talking.

Thomas Wagner, the one primarily talking with him, had fear stretched across his features. "You'll never beat them!" he shouted, drawing everyone's attention. "You do know how many tens of thousands have been eaten already? We lost over twenty percent of our population, so we know for sure. Humans _cannot_ defeat Titans!" The atmosphere became silent.

"So?" Eren said, his voice rising. "If you think we can't win, you'll just give up?!"

"Well..."

"It's true that humanity has only suffered defeat until now, but we didn't know anything about the Titans then. Fighting them head on is pointless. We did lose, but the information we gained gives up hope for next time! Will we abandon the tactics that cost those tens of thousands to develop and let the Titans eat us without a fight?! _Hell no_! I'm going to exterminate all of the Titans and escape these cramped Walls! That is my dream! Humanity isn't finished yet!" After a moment, his eyes started to water and he ran out the room, emotional, as Mikasa and Armin chased after him.

Fritz took another sip of his drink, deciding now was the best time to walk over to Annie's table after Eren's much needed outbursts. As he got closer, she looked up from her own drink and didn't say anything, just making eye contact like she usually did.

"Hey there, Annie," he greeted, plopping down on the opposite side of the table. He set his drink down harder than normal, the contents swishing around violently. "I saw you made it into the top ten! Are you going to join the Scouting Legion or-"

"The Military Police," she responded almost immediately, cutting off his words as she took a sip of her drink. "I'm joining the Military Police, not the Scouting Legion or the Garrison. That was my aim."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Why? I'm joining the Scouting Legion, don't you want to join me instead?"

"No," she replied bluntly. Fritz raised an eyebrow, taking another sip of his drink. _What was up_? "You see, unlike you or Eren, _I'm_ not in a hurry to go and die. Deep down, I'm not as strong as the two of you are." Looking away, she continued, her voice getting quieter. "I'm just a weak little girl who can't tough it out like guys such as yourself."

"Annie-"

"I'm not joining the Scouting Legion."

"But-"

"I just," she looked into his eyes now, "_can't_ do it. I'm not as reckless as you or Eren. I'm not in a hurry to just die out there. My decision is final, I'm not joining the Scouting Legion."

"But Annie-!"

"No!" she raised her voice, slamming her fist down. "How many times do I have to say it until it gets through that thick skull of yours?!"

Fritz looked away, embarrassed now that other people were staring. "I..."

"You _what_...?"

"I just didn't think you'd be so strongly against it..."

Annie eased the grip she had on her cup and leaned back. Sighing and looking up at the ceiling, she stayed in that position; silent."I'm just not strong enough..." she whispered after a moment. "I can't do it. Can't you understand that?"

Fritz was still looking away. He was too ashamed to even glance in her direction. "I'm sorry... I didn't... I didn't..." His voice trailed off and the atmosphere between the two of them became quiet again. Everyone who had been staring caught the atmosphere as well and went back to their own things. They didn't want to get involved in whatever had happened. Staring at the ground, Fritz felt the worse he's ever had since training, similar to the time when he'd made his mother cry. It was the same feeling. He had made someone uneasy, he had made them upset. _He had made them cry_. No, she wasn't physically crying her eyes out; it was internal. He could feel it. An internal sorrow that reached out to him, that wanted him to be there for it and tell it that everything's going to be ok. It made him feel sick. Disgusted. With himself; his actions. Grinding his teeth together slowly, he filled with a feeling he'd never felt before; rage. _Why_? _Why had he pushed her so hard for an answer_? _Why had he pressed her for an explanation_? Why was he so inconsiderate? Fritz dug his hand into his knee. _How could he have been so stupid_? His nails digging into the fabric of his pants and down to the skin underneath, he wanted to draw blood. He wanted to punish himself for being such an idiot, he wanted to-

"Fritz, calm down," Annie said softly. She had reached over the table and put a hand on his own. "You're going to injure yourself if you keep doing that." Her face showed no visible emotion and her voice was flat. Indistinguishable. "You couldn't have guessed my intentions even if you tried. It was unpredictable, right? That I would join the Military Police instead of the Scouting Legion or the Garrison?" Fritz kept his head downcast, but his nails stopped digging. "It wasn't any of your business to know." He abruptly turned to face her, his face full of rage and tears. "It was never any of your business. I let you... get too close..." she looked away briefly, "I'm just not in a hurry to die, so I can't make the commitment of joining the Scouting Legion. You understand, right?" Only silence answered her and she smiled sadly. She slowly got up from the table, turning to walk away, but stopped as soon as she took the first steps. She wanted to say one last thing, one last thing that would cut their ties to each other before anything else happened.

He watched her get up. Watched her start to walk away. He had lost her trust, her friendship. He didn't want that. She'd opened up so much since they'd first met. Even if it was only talking, it was better than glaring at everything she came across. All that process would be lost. The cage would be forever in darkness, the key never used. He couldn't let that happen. The hand on his knee curled into a fist. _He wouldn't let that happen._

Annie turned on her heel, looking directly at him. At his downcast face. She inhaled sharply and slowly opened her mouth. She was going to say it, she was going to say good-

"Don't say it." Fritz finally spoke, albeit in barely a whisper. "Don't you _fucking_ say it, you hear me?" He looked up now, his tears dried and anger turned into determination. "Goodbye. There isn't a thing called 'goodbye' in my mind," he shook his head, "and, even if outside my mind there really is, I can't say it to you. So don't say it me!" He got up from the table and reached out to grasp her wrist. She resisted and took a step backward. No, he wouldn't let her run away anymore. He held on tighter as she struggled to wiggle free...

"Don't touch me," she barked. Her anger was rising. "_Let go._"

"I won't."

"I said-"

"_I won't_!" Fritz's shouting caused everyone to look over. He was starting to cause a scene. "Let's take this outside. Come on." He forcefully pulled on her arm and led her outside to the onlook of everyone. Outside now, she was practically seething and tore free of his grip.

"I said not to touch me!" She raised her voice and immediately lowered it. "What makes you think that only you can solely choose when to end everything? It's my decision if I want to leave or not, not _yours_."

Fritz opened his mouth to argue, but nothing came out. She was right, he didn't have any say. _Yet_. "I don't care! I thought we were partners! I thought we were friends! Don't just say you're gonna abandon all that and for _what_? A spot safe in the Interior like a coward?!"

Annie's eyes flashed. "I'm _not_ a coward."

"Then why are you running away?!"

"I'm _not_ running away."

Fritz bit his lip and glanced away at the moon overhead. "Then why are you _scared_?" he asked, his voice searching for answers. Annie didn't respond. She wasn't prepared for the question.

"I..." She looked away herself and clenched a fist at her side. "Can't tell you."

"What's going on, you guys!?" a voice called out from the direction of the hall. Mina ran up and stood between the two of them. "What's this all about?!" she asked, searching both of their faces for any clues. Fritz looked away but Annie stared her back.

"It's none of your business. Don't follow me," she said over her shoulder as she began to walk away from the two of them.

"Annie, wait!" Mina called after her, stretching out her hand to grasp her shoulder, but Annie shrugged it off. Mina looked back to Fritz, worry in her eyes. "Fritz, what the hell happened?" No response. "_Fritz_!"

"Nothing happened," he responded slowly. "I just... don't know her as well as I thought I did..."

"Fritz..." Mina looked in the direction Annie had stormed off to and then went quickly back to him. "I'm going to go after Annie to make sure she doesn't do anything! You stay here, alright?" she said, smiling and putting a hand on his shoulder. "She's just not used to people worrying about her. Let's hope we can change that, yeah?"

Removing her hand and waving, she went off to go find Annie. She looked over her shoulder one last time. "And don't look so down! Cheer up!" she exclaimed and winked. Then she was gone, lost in the gloom and the night, only the sound of her rushed footsteps on the stone pavement heard.

/-.-.-.-\

Fritz looked down at the ground. _How was he supposed to cheer up_? He didn't know. He'd been wrong about Annie, and in his curiosity for more explanation, he had seemingly lost her friendship. Smiling sadly and sighing, he clenched a fist at his side like he'd seen Annie do occasionally. Mina was a good friend to have, always so supportive. If only he could be more like her...

"Hey, _dumbass_..." Leaning against the wall of a building, inside of its shadow, was Achi. "Do you get it now? There's nothing you can do." She crossed her arms and sniffed. She tapped her foot and looked him up and down. "You gonna say anything?" He just continued to stare silently at the ground. Achi clicked her tongue. "Figures, a-"

"I'm not..." Fritz whispered softly as he looked up. "I'm not giving up!" he shouted. "Even if I have to force it on her, I will help her!"

"And what makes you think you can do anything? Are you going to chase after her? Tackle her? Force her to the ground like some rapist? Make her yours like some sick perverted bastard?"

Fritz glanced over at her and turned to her after a moment of silence. "What the hell is your problem? What did Annie ever do to you?"

Achi's eyes visibly hardened. "Wouldn't you like to find out?" It wasn't a question.

Without warning, a figure stepped forward into the light and craned his sore head. He had slightly slanted eyes, barely even noticeable, tan skin, and jet black cropped hair, wearing a military uniform, and a sour expression. "Hey, you punks, what are you doing out this late?"

"And you are?" Achi grumbled.

"I'm a member of the Garrison. Didn't you recognize the roses?" He pointed to a patch on his arm.

Achi blinked and stared at him for a moment. "Pansy."

"I'm not a pansy goddammit!" Clearing his throat, he stared them both down as he gave a salute. "I'm Kazue Honda of the Garrison!" The two of them just stared back and said nothing. After a few moments of silence, the atmosphere got awkward and Kazue cleared his throat again, then looked between the two of them. "Well, aren't you going to introduce yourselves? You both look to be trainees, today was the graduation ceremony, right?"

"That's right." Fritz replied. He felt better now that the tension from earlier was gone. "I'm Friedrich Brandt and this is-"

Achi outstretched an arm in front of Fritz's chest. She fixed him with a cold eye. "Fritz, I can introduce myself." After a minute, she sighed. "I don't talk to strangers though, sorry. Especially pansies."

Kazue shook a fist and took a step forward. He was seething with rage now. "I told you, I'm not a pansy you little-!"

"_Honda_! What are you doing messing around over there for!?" an authoritative voice called over. A female of medium height with a round face and curly brown hair that stopped halfway at her neck came forward, wearing a military uniform similar to the man she was shouting at. "Who're these kids?" She was carrying a large bag of something in her arms and had to peer around it to get a good look at three of them. Fritz smelled freshly baked bread coming from the large bag in question.

"These punks are newly graduated trainees and they-"

"Oh! _Perfect_! You guys should join us! We're on our way to a party held by some of the Garrison members!"

"Wha-! No! These punks, they-"

"Whatever they did, can't you forgive them? It's their graduation night after all!"

"But-!"

"_Nope_!"

/-.-.-.-\

Later, an excited Fritz and a reluctant Achi were being led by a cheerful young woman holding a large bag of bread with a glaring young man taking up the rear – who was also grumbling to himself. The streets became narrower as they went along, the houses became closer, and the air became thinner. Fritz remembered this way as leading to one of the old abandoned neighborhoods and he wondered why members of the Garrison would host a party in such a place. _Was it a secret party_? As they came closer to one of the buildings with its lights on, he wondered just how many people were in there. The building itself wasn't what someone would expect from an abandoned home – it was well maintained and looked to be recently cleaned from the outside. As the four of them came closer to the front door, he noticed it was still in good condition and that there was only one window that illuminated the empty street next to it. There was chatter coming from inside and the knocking of bottles.

The young woman stopped in front of the door and glanced her shoulder. "Ok, we're here! Oh! I'm Kalia Bendlin by the way!" she smiled, hefting the bag. "Hey Honda, be useful and open this door!"

"Yeah yeah," he grumbled, locking eyes with Achi as he passed. "Brat," he whispered as he passed her.

"Pansy," she countered, sticking out her tongue. He made a face back, then opened the door.

"There..."

"Thanks! Now, carry this bag and set it on the table!"

"Why me?!"

"Because I said so," Kalia retorted.. That earned a chuckle from Achi.

/-.-.-.-\

The next morning, Fritz and Achi stumbled out of their beds that the military had rented out for them and the other trainees, and after groggily getting their uniforms on, they went outside in the hot sun to a crowd on either sides of the street. Everyone was looking to the north, the direction of the gate, as if there were something coming down the street.

"What's going on?" Achi groaned, rubbing an eye. She looked through the crowd as the two of them heard the sound of hoofs getting closer and closer. "Horses?"

"I don't know, a parade?" Fritz yawned, trying to peer over people's heads. He heard Achi yelp in surprise and looked over. Kalia had came up behind and put her arm around the girl's shoulder, smiling widely.

"It's the Scouting Legion!" she exclaimed, pointing. "That's the main force! See, look! There's Petra!" she said, waving to a young woman with amber colored short hair, wearing a green cape and Scouting Legion attire whilst riding on horseback. "Long time no see you slowpoke!" Hearing Kalia's voice, Petra looked in her direction and waved as she smiled – continuing along with the rest of the Scouting Legion down the street. "She's an old friend from my trainee days," Kalia said to Achi, who couldn't care less but had to listen anyway as she couldn't get free from the older woman's grasp. "Out of me, Ines, and herself, she was the slowest one. Now look at her," she whistled, smiling warmly.

The mention of the name "Ines" caused Fritz's eyes to widen and he suddenly turned to the two, startling them. He was ashamed he hadn't realized the situation sooner – the Scouting Legion always used to travel through the streets when he was younger.

"Did you say Ines?!" he exclaimed, turning from Kalia and Achi to peer closer at the men and women on horseback who were riding through the street. Concentrating, he tried to find his sister in them, but couldn't see over the crowd all that well.

"Yeah, I did..." Kalia replied she let go of Achi's shoulder, seeing the seriousness in his eyes. "Do you know her?"

`"She's my older sister!"

"Huh?" Kalia was dumbfounded for a second, then regained her composure. "What's your last name?"

"Brandt!"

Kalia's eyes widened in recognition. "Are you Friedrich?" she asked. Fritz shook his head rapidly. "Ines always talked about you!"

"Anything good?" Achi interjected, smirking.

"Good, huh? I wouldn't say that really, but it was mostly small things anyway. Now," Kalia waved in the direction of the crowd. "Let's see if Ines is there, huh Fritz?"

/-.-.-.-\

Later that same morning, Fritz, Achi, Kazue, Kalia, and another graduate were on top of Wall Rose, helping to place battlements and check the cannons. Fritz was hefting a barricade along with the other graduate, who's name was Jayce, together placing it where Kalia instructed – with Kazue and Achi doing another one at the same time. As soon as they had it in the right position, Fritz stretched his arms and looked out at the town of Trost: his hometown. He had made it back – he hadn't gotten the chance to visit his mother and little sister yet, and he was disappointed about that. What further disappointed him was the fact that Ines hadn't been with the Scouting Legion when they'd returned, but Kalia had assured him that she was probably fine. After all, she wasn't a part of Lance Corporal Levi's unit, even though all of the Scouting Legion was under the command of Commander Erwin. She had explained that in recent years, Ines had become as ruthless as Levi, after being appointed to the same position herself. It wouldn't have been surprising if she and a detachment were left behind to gather more intelligence on the Titans. Fritz frowned as he wiped his brow – she was still so far away from his reach. Noticing his worrisome expressions, Jayce patted his fellow graduate on the back and came up beside him.

"I'm sure you'll see her soon," he reassured, looking down at the Trost District himself.

That's right. Fritz had been talking with Jayce the most since they had gotten up to the Wall and started working – being that Achi was in a bad mood from earlier, Kalia was in leader mode, and Kazue was just all around grumpy. Jayce had been the only one to talk to, and Fritz had been presently surprised; Jayce was the same age, a little taller than himself, and had an honorable personality. His features were that of someone who's lived in the Interior most of his life, which could attribute to his strong sense of duty, and his black hair was short and spiky – which was a curiosity in itself. Fritz had never seen a hairstyle so like it before; it wasn't straight like his own, but jugged out like he groomed it like a prince. Was he a prince? Fritz hadn't asked and sure wouldn't ask now as he smiled at his new friend.

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right."

"Hey! Brandt and Mundis! Get back to work!" Kalia shouted loudly. Her cheerful demeanor from earlier that morning replaced with an authoritative and concentrated outlook. Fritz wondered which personality was the real Kalia, but he didn't have time to contemplate as Kalia threw a pebble at him. "I said get going! Snap to it!" she commanded, pointing to a cannon at her left. "Inspect this and then, when the two of you are done," she pointed now to another barricade, "put this barricade in place!"

"Yes ma'am!" The two boys said in unison, saluting as they did as she instructed.

Moving to the cannon, Fritz felt under the belly of the armament as Jayce checked on the breech. Feeling around the reinforcing rings and the trunnion, Fritz made sure they were positioned properly then moved on to the muzzle. It reeked of spent gunpowder and he made sure not to touch around the rim in case he got any residue on his hands. Once the stuff was on your hands it wasn't easy to get off. Done with the muzzle, he glanced over to see Jayce working on the knob and ball chamber. His friend's concentration only made him determined to work harder, checking the top of the cannon now. It was the same as the belly and as soon as he removed his hand Jayce had finished his own work.

They smiled at one another, then nodded in seriousness and moved on to the barricade, lifting it on either side as they followed Achi and Kazue to where Kalia instructed. Setting it down, Fritz wiped his brow for a second time, taking in the fresh air of the morning. Yes, he was back home. _Trost_ – he hadn't seen it in three years and now he was finally back! He couldn't wait to go and greet his mother and little sister – maybe even learn the whereabouts of his older sister. Looking down at his hometown, he continued to smile as the sun shined behind him in the sky; _yes, he was home_.


	6. Breach Into Darkness

**Chapter Six: Breach Into Darkness**

"Hey, what's that smoke?" Kazue asked as he blinked and shaded his eyes from the sun. Further down the Wall, near the gate, there was a billow of smoke in the air, spewing onto the Wall. There were dark forms, what looked to be people, hanging on the side and he wondered if there had been an accident involving one of the cannons. Waving over to Kalia to get her attention, he pointed at the scene. "Something's happening over there!" he called over as he took another glance. The smoke – no, the _steam_, was very thick and whatever was concealed inside of it was impossible to make out. Moving his eyes to the people hanging on the Wall, he saw that one of them was dangling upside down with another supporting him. The others were just frozen in place. It was odd – _did they get knocked over by an internal explosion from one of the cannons_? Had that person been the only one injured as they had fallen off the Wall? Then again – now that he thought about it – wouldn't a cannon exploding have killed them all instantly instead of pushing them away? Narrowing his eyes, he was wondering just what _exactly_ was going on over there.

"What do you mean '_something is happening_'? Was there an accident?" Kalia asked and came beside Kazue with a clipboard. She had been marking off the number of battlements and armaments they had placed, inspected, and laid down since they had begun their work earlier that morning. "Is that steam...?" she asked now, blinking rapidly, it were as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. A figure shot up via their 3D Maneuver Gear and that was when the realization hit her! The steam, the figures, the Wall; _just like five years ago_! Snapping her writing utensil in half, called out to everyone still working on her side of the Wall. "Everyone! Put whatever you're working on down and make sure your Gear is on!" Glancing back the Wall, she bit down on one of her fingernails. It was happening again – the Wall was being _breached_!

Achi stretched her aching limbs from her crouching position next to one of the barricades she had just finished checking. _What had Kalia said_? _Put everything down_? Rotating a shoulder blade, she sighed with relief – that was alright with her! Moving and placing all the heavy equipment up and down the Wall was tiresome work, and she was glad to get a break from it. As she reached for her toes, still stretching, she wondered about that last bit: _make sure your Gear is on_. Peering up, people were now scrambling to ready their 3D Maneuver Gear and tightening their harnesses. She decided it best to do the same; something really bad could be happening right now. After her experiences, she wasn't going to just throw the feeling of uneasiness she felt to the wind and lie down. It was all too eery, the way everyone was now looking over to a large cloud of smoke near the Wall right atop the gate. As she stretched her back for the last time and smoothed over her harnesses, she took a closer look at what everyone else was staring at. It wasn't smoke like she had first believed – but steam, _like__ the steam released from a Titan's body_! Her mind quickly flashing back to memories of her mother, of her father, of her village; her _home_. She clenched her teeth in anger. They were under attack again! The Titans have appeared again!

"Titans! They're here!" someone shouted.

"Titans?!" Jayce repeated, seeing the steam for the first time. He edged a hand to his 3D Maneuver Gear by instinct and ran forward, closer to the edge of the Wall. "Here?!" Looking over, watching as the steam started to dissipate, making out a large humanoid form inside of it. The steam was still too thick to get any clear features of what it was, but he knew exactly what it had to be: _the_ _Colossal Titan_! If what was being said were true, then that was the only possibility! Never actually having seen a Titan himself, let alone the one who had breached Wall Maria five years ago, he was both awed and struck with a sense of dread as he stared. His thoughts went back to the lectures and seminars during training regarding the Titans and their nature.

The body structure of a Titan can range from any number of factors including size, shape, type, and class. The size of a Titan usually ranges from three to fifteen meters in height, with the seven meter tall types being the most commonly seen – their size also establishes what class they are. Each titan class has distinct features that set them apart from the rest, which helps in identifying their height. Titans in the three to six height and class have the most resemblance to humans, disproportional bodies, and they are usually unintelligent and slow. A Titan seven meters in height resembles more of an ape like creature with an oversized head and hunched stances when they move. From eight to fifteen, the Titans have more proportional bodies but enlarged mouths; they were the ones to watch out for. Any Titan that displays intelligence of any form is considered and commonly referred to as a Deviant – they are extremely dangerous to deal with. All Titans can regenerate lost limbs and that makes them difficult to kill, the only successful way has been by slicing out the nape of the neck, which counteracts all of their regeneration abilities and functions and kills them shortly after or, in some cases, instantly. When they finally die, their corpse quickly evaporates into skeletal remains and then disappears altogether. Nobody is sure why this is, but as Jayce eased one of his coiled blades out of its metal sheath, he was just thankful that they could be killed at all. He took note of everyone's position on his side of the Wall and stopped as soon as he spotted Fritz. His friend was just standing frozen in place, gazing over in the direction of the Colossal Titan.

A Titan, right next to his home. A Titan, and not just any Titan, but the Colossal Titan! He couldn't believe it. Watching as the steam cleared to reveal a monstrous, skinless, hulking head that struck fear into everyone who saw it, he couldn't take it; he didn't want his home to end up like Shiganshina. Frantic, he looked to the direction of his house. Without giving it a second thought, he ran for the edge of the Wall, aiming his triggers at the first tall building he saw. The blood was rushing to his head from all the stress, fear, and exhaustion he was feeling and he felt light headed as if he were floating. He fainted. Though, instead of falling backward, his unconscious body still took the last few steps forward toward the edge of the Wall. Even if he was wrapped up inside of his own worries and fears, even if he was no longer conscious and moving around on his own terms, his body, his _will_, would not let him give up.

/-.-.-.-\

Jayce had looked over just in time to see Fritz fall over the edge and acted quickly. "Kalia! Fritz is in trouble! He's fallen over the side of the Wall!" Pointing to the last spot Fritz had been standing, he locked eyes with Kazue.

"I'll get him!" Kazue said, charging for the edge of the Wall, peering over it quickly, and spotting the falling form of Fritz as the boy was slowly gaining speed. Kazue aimed his triggers at the nearest building and shot out his wires and impacted with the roof a few seconds later. Looking over to see that Fritz's speed was steadily increasing, he cursed under his breath and aimed for the spot ten meters below the boy's falling form. His plan was to catch him as they crossed each other, but he wasn't sure how much the boy weighed. If he knew, he could accurately calculate how much of his strength to use so the both of them didn't go falling down. In action now, his wire hooks embedded themselves into the Wall and locked in place. Planting his feet firmly, he craned his neck to see Fritz coming down fast. The boy was unconscious. No time to speculate, Kazue caught the boy by his uniform as soon as he passed. The strain was more than he had anticipated and he slid down it a bit. Tthe wire cut into his hand and blood started to trickle down his wrist, but he could deal with the pain. Grunting, he braced himself and let go of his wire. Aiming for the nearest roof, he slung Fritz over his shoulder and went towards it. He had overstepped his landing, tumbling on the shingles of the roof, earning more injuries as he held onto Fritz. Hearing shouts from atop the Wall, he looked up to see Kalia and the others waving down. He waved back to indicate that he had handled the situation and smiled. His first genuine smile in ages.

After confirming that Kazue and Fritz were alright, Kalia spun around and addressed everyone present who were still on the Wall. "Everyone! Retreat to HQ! We need to regroup and assess the situation! We _cannot_ just hand Trost over to these _bastards_!" she shouted at the top of her lungs and poised her coiled blade in the direction of HQ. She stood firm as everyone followed her instructions. Standing beside her were Achi and Jayce. "You two go help Brandt and Honda, I'll join you guys shortly after I've taken care of the situation here."

"Got it," Achi replied as she glanced from the older woman to the Colossal Titan. She balled a hand into a fist and looked down at Fritz. "You stupid bastard, of all the times to be taking a nap!" she scolded under her breath.

"But what about the Colossal Titan?" Jayce asked, pointing in its direction. "It's still over there! We have to deal with it now or the gate will be taken down!" he said as Achi was already on the move. Kalia fixed him with a grave eye.

"At times like this, it's best to think that the Wall and gates have already been breached. Right now, we should be doing everything we can to ensure that the Titans don't get any further into the town other than that! For you, that means helping your friend and my friend's little brother, understand? I don't want to have to explain how he died, I don't want him to die, I don't want _any_ of us to die!" She raised her voice. One of her hands was wrapped around a trinket on her neck. "Never again." Turning her head to get a better look at Jayce, she smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't let your friends die, you hear me? Do what I couldn't do and _save him_."

"I... understand," Jayce nodded, he didn't know her regrets, her pains, but he understood that she didn't want them to befall anyone else. Adrenaline filled his limbs and determination his heart as he looked down to where the others were. "I'm going! I won't let him die!"

Kaila held her smile. "_Good boy_," she whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek. Quickly wiping it away, she continued with the evacuation atop the Wall.

/-.-.-.-\

Achi stood above Fritz, looking down on him with contempt and hidden worry. "What the hell happened?" she asked Kazue, who was rubbing his shoulder.

"I don't know, your friend just said he was falling and I acted on instinct. He's unconscious."

"Of all the times..."

"How is he?!" Jayce called over, panting as he ran to the three of them. "Is he alright?"

"He's unconscious." Kazue replied. "Do you know anything about it?"

Jayce shook his head. "No, all I had seen was him fall over the edge."

"Well it doesn't matter now, we have to get to HQ like Kalia said," Achi interjected, glancing up at the older woman, who was still directing everyone atop the Wall. "Looks like she's still not finished."

"We have to carry him," Kazue decided, standing up. "One of you two need to do it," he said, indicating at his injured hand. "My hand is no good. Can the both of you carry him and share the load?"

"We can," Jayce said without hesitation, looking to Achi for an agreement. She just shrugged.

"It doesn't hurt to try." Fixing Fritz with her hazel eyes, she scowled and shuttered. "But him being so close to me is..."

"Would you rather he died?" Jayce asked, looking down on her with scorn and pity.

"No, I wouldn't – believe it or not." She locked eyes with the spiky haired boy. "And if you give me that look again I won't hesitate to kill _you_. Got it?"

Jayce nodded, just glad she was in agreement. He moved over on his right and lifted Fritz by the side. "I'll take the right side, you take the left."

"Uh-huh."

Kazue watched the two of them get Fritz to his feet, and after making sure they had him secure, he looked up to see if Kalia was done yet. The last of people she was directing were already on their way, and she waved down, shouting that she'd be there in a second. He waved back to say "ok". She was next to him in no time at all.

"What's the situation?" she asked.

"He's unconscious. I'm having the two of them carry him," he indicated at Achi and Jayce, then turned to Kalia. "What do you want to do?"

Kalia sighed, scratching her curly brown hair. She looked over in the direction of Headquarters. "We'll follow everyone else and get to HQ first, and then from there, we'll replenish our gas canisters and await further orders." Smiling brightly, she nudged Kazue in the side. "Sounds like a good plan, right?"

"Yeah..."

"I knew I was always good at making up plans! Alright! You two, get Brandt and carry him over to HQ! We'll cover you. Take your time, we don't want to over exhaust anyone just yet! I feel like this is only the beginning of things!" She elbowed Kazue in the ribs.

"Hey! What was that for?!"

"Get moving! Don't just stand there!"

"Look who's talking!"

"Yeah, _I am_! Now get moving, slowpoke!"

Kazue grumbled under his breath as he started after the rest of them. _Kalia could be so bossy sometimes_; it got on his nerves.

Kalia looked back to the gate and her eyes widened in surprise; _the Colossal Titan was gone_! _It had disappeared_! She turned back Kazue and the others on the adjacent roof; _they had to move fast_! Not giving it a second thought, she shot over their heads and as soon as she landed, waved frantically.

"What's up with her?" Achi groaned.

"She saying we have to get a move on." Jayce replied.

"Doesn't she know that we're carrying dead weight? We can't go that fast!"

"I'm sure she knows that. We'll just have to go as fast as we can! Come on!"

"At least say something before you start moving!" he complained.

"Shut up you pansy! Pay attention and we won't _have_ to say anything!"

"You little-!"

"Hey you three! Come on! We have to hurry! The Colossal Titan's disappeared! The gate is probably already breached, no time to waste!" Kalia waved them forward, flying forward by her wires.

"Give us a break _dammit_!" Achi groaned again.

/-.-.-.-\

The five of the went from rooftop to rooftop and building to building toward the direction of Headquarters as fast as they dared. With two of them carrying Fritz, they couldn't overdo it or they'd never make it.

A member of the Garrison came up and asked what was the matter upon seeing the unconscious Fritz.

"He's unconscious and we need to refuel our gas! Let us through!" Kalia commanded as the guard nodded and stepped aside; startled by her authoritative attitude. Kalia motioned for the rest of them to come inside and hurried up the stairs to the second floor where the nearest canisters were stored.

"What about Fritz?!" Jayce asked as he and Achi trudged their way up the steps carrying him. "He's still-!"

"He'll wake up eventually!" Kalia called over her shoulder. "Right now we need to refuel our gas and then we can worry about him! He's not injured, so he's fine!" Remembering Kazue's hand, she glanced at him. "Honda! Get your hand checked!"

"The bleeding's already stopped!"

"Does it look like I care?! Get it checked!"

Kazue grumbled, running back down to the first floor to get first aid treatment. Achi smirked at the scene then focused back on carrying Fritz.

"Once we get the gas, what are we gonna do about him?!" she shouted up to Kalia, waving Fritz's limp arm as if he were a puppet. At that point they had reached the second floor and were already on their way to the gas canisters. She abruptly let got of him and hurried closer to Kalia.

"Hey, come over here and help me!" Jayce cried out, suddenly having to hold up the "dead weight" by himself.

"I'll get the canisters with Kalia! You deal with him!"

/-.-.-.-\

Kazue rubbed his hand as he walked up the stairs, complaining about the harsh touch of medical staff when he happened to look up and see Jayce shaking an unconscious Fritz. He raised an eyebrow as the boy then proceeded to slap his friend repeatedly, deciding to just sit back and watch him deal with it. Jayce noticed him standing there and shouted over, asking for help. Kazue cursed under his breath, but obliged and came over. "I don't think he's going to wake up," he observed.

Meanwhile, Jayce was desperately trying to wake up Fritz. He held him up and shook him, but nothing happened. He slapped him, but nothing happened. Yelling at him now, he was out of ideas as he looked over to where Kalia and Achi had went. _They needed__ to hurry back soon_! "Just help me!"

"How? What should I do, haven't you tried everything already?"

"I don't know!? Help me talk to him! Punch him! Do _something_! _Anything_!"

Kazue grinned; punching him sounded like a _good_ idea. He rubbed his chin as he shook his head. Yes, that was a _great_ idea! "Ok, kid, I'll hit him for you!" He reeled a fist back. "Stand back! I can't get a good shot with you standing there!"

Jayce covered Fritz, defending him. "I didn't actually mean you had to punch him! Just to do something to wake him up!"

"But maybe this'll work!"

"No! It won't! You'll only give him unnecessary injury!"

"Just let me try and see!" Kazue replied, trying to push Jayce out of the way.

"I said no!" Jayce countered, struggling with him. As they were going back and forth, Kalia and Achi returned with the canisters, two under each arm.

Achi scowled. _N__ow wasn't the time to be goofing around_! There could already be Titans roaming around! Thinking of this, she filled with rage and bit down with her teeth.

/-.-.-.-\

Fritz coughed and his eyes fluttered open, hearing Kalia's voice shouting commands.

"Mundis and Honda! Come over here and refuel your gas canisters! On the double! We can't afford to waste anymore time! Brandt will come to his senses in the meantime!"

Fritz sat up, cradling his head in his hands, wondering where he was.

"You were unconscious. We brought you to HQ to regroup and refuel." Kalia explained.

"Huh?"

"Mundis, explain it to him on the way! We have to regroup with everyone now!" Kalia shouted, motioning downstairs.

/-.-.-.-\

After the briefing, the military had split them into three different groups: the first group would be on the front lines and combat the Titans that had broken through; the second group would help herd people out of the town and also provide backup for the first group. The third group was to organize the fleeing people into the next area and make sure no Titans got past them. His squad consisted of Achi, Jayce, Kazue, Kalia, and himself. They'd been placed with the first group. Kalia was in command as the squad leader.

Fritz couldn't see his own house but he knew the direction it was in and hoped that his mother and Sofie were safe. Bringing his back to the task at hand, he braced himself for clearing the Titans out of Trost.

"Stay sharp! We haven't encountered any Titans yet, but that doesn't mean they aren't already inside the town!" Kalia called over her shoulder. "Stay in formation and don't stray!" She inclined her head at a nearby roof. "You see that house over there? We'll stop there and figure out the next move before doing anything reckless! I don't want any of you to die on my watch!" The five of them nodded their understanding. She turned and swung around a corner – the roof within sight. It was a tall building and provided the perfect vantage point to see everything in the area. "Let's go!" she shouted, determined to get there and not lose a single person in the process.

/-.-.-.-\

_It was a sad thing – not being able to see her friends as they were now far beyond the Walls, in the unclaimed territories. __Kalia sighed to herself and __pushed up on the handle __t__hat controlled the gate that barred the way farther into Wall Maria. The third layer of defense, that was where she was stationed now that she was a fresh member of the Garrison. Watching the rotating mechanisms of the gate, she wondered how Ines and Petra were doing. It's been a year since she'd last seen them __at the g__raduation ceremony. She wondered if they had kept their promises, and smiled to herself as she now turned her handle in the opposite direction; the two of them wouldn't go back on their promise – she was sure of it. Content, she exhaled in relief as soon as the handle had stopped, which meant that the gate was now closed. Stretching her arms, she walked __away__ from her post to gaze down at the travelers coming in from Wall Maria. Merchants, traders, craftsmen, a few women and children – the usual. People moving back and forth between the gates, from the outlying villages and smaller towns. It was so much work each day, closing and opening the gate. Yawning, she turned to look at the world in front of the gate – the territories within Wall Maria. She couldn't see the second gate from here, __even if she squinted against the sun. It __was so vast; always managing to grip her with awe. _

_ Since joining the Garrison, she had only managed to make one true friend like Ines and Petra: Melia Rines. After only their first year together, the two of them had become great friends and even gotten matching necklaces suspended by a plain string of leather, shaped in the form of a bear's head; personal strength and direction. Melia was from an area where bears were prominent and a constant threat, but she herself had always been mesmerized by them; their beauty and their strength. They had given her the courage to protect her home behind the Walls from any danger, and, as Kalia fiddled with her necklace, pulling it out, she could feel the courage emanating from the trinket as she went back to gazing out across the territories with Wall Maria. She was content with only having one friend within the Garrison, that it was better than having a lot of friends that would be as likely to steal from you as to help you. With Melia, that wasn't a problem as the two shared their things. Their pasts, their futures, their time in the present. The two of them lived for it all and Kalia hoped that Ines and Petra were too. After all, it wasn't fair that she was the only one having a good time. Though, it worried her; what was beyond those Walls? Where had those clouds been going, what was out there? It filled her with dread, and she couldn't shake off the feeling that something monstrous was beyond those fifty meter tall walls, but rubbing the necklace Melia had given her gave her the courage to put those thoughts aside and focus on her tasks at hand. The day was only beginning, and there was still a lot of work to do – even if there was nobody traveling between the gates at the moment. Her secondary jobs included: placing fortifications along the Wall, replacing fortifications along the Wall, inspecting the various battlements positioned here and there, cleaning the various battlements, and making sure the traffic coming through the gates was orderly – among other smaller things that someone else usually took care of while she was busy with one thing or another. It was tough work, but with her newfound courage, friend, and the thoughts of meeting Ines and Petra again – she was confident that it would go by quickly and without too much sweat. She use to not sweat a lot, but with all the workload that was given to her it was hard not to come out at the end of the day as a self sufficient sticky fountain. _

_ Clutching her necklace, she gripped it tightly between her fingers as she now looked to the clouds that floated on by in the sky above. It was her belief to protect those she held dear and her life within the Walls. All of their lives. She would continue to protect her home within the Walls, just like Melia, and she would continue to cheer on her two friends doing their best outside the Walls – wherever they may be and whatever they may be up to. Smiling, she thought of all the things she would talk to Melia about once she got time off her post, and all the things she was going to say to Ines and Petra when she'd see them again. Of course, the flowers were something to look forward to, too._

/-.-.-.-\

Hanging from the side of the top of the tower, Fritz could see everything around for a mile or more; it really was the perfect vantage point. Looking up at the pointed steeple of the tower itself, he recalled that it was a belltower, though he'd never understood for what until now. The bell was ringing so loudly he had to cover his ears, the street below packed with people still running for the gate the led out of Trost. So many people were still inside. "What about the people still fleeing from the Titans?!" he shouted over the noise of the bell and panic below. He could barely hear his own voice.

"Nothing!" Kalia yelled back, further atop the belltower than anyone else. She had organized them into a line with herself at the top, then Achi, Jayce in the middle, Fritz, and lastly, Kazue taking up the rear as he preferred. It was all she could do as they had rushed to get to the position without any further planning. Scanning the crowd down below, she shook her head. "There's nothing we can do to help them right now! Let the rear guard take care of it!" She saw his face contort in anger and her own fury grew. "What do you think we can do?!" Pointing her coiled blade at the Titans now spilling into the town, she felt the necklace sway from the tension in her neck. "We have bigger problems to deal with here!"

"Fritz! She's right, we have to deal with the Titans!" Jayce agreed, looking up to Achi. "Isn't that right Achi! _Achi_?!"

/-.-.-.-\

Achi had been out of tune with their conversation the whole time, just gazing out at the multitude of Titans that were slowly approaching. She hated them. Some of them were even smiling. They were the smiles of monsters and she grasped her wire tighter as she remembered her mother. She didn't want to see that again, see any of it anymore. A beat of sweat rolled down her forehead. Was she _afraid_? Her weapon hand was shaking. She was _afraid, _she was _afraid_! Was it of dying and ending up like her mother? What was it? A Titan jumped into a tower in the distance and smashed into it. There had been a squad right there, and one of the group had been caught between its teeth. Achi watched the blood spray as the monster chopped down on his waist and swallowed him whole in one single instance, immediately concluding the source of her fears as it showed its teeth. _That smile_. That inhumane smile that chilled her bones and extinguished her fury, her desire to fight, her resolve to keep up her tough girl act and revert back to the scared little girl she used to be. The _useless_, _scared_, _little girl_ she used to be. Watching as another of the squad came at the Titan who had just eaten his friend, her shaking intensified as his leg was bitten off and he went crashing along a roof – shingles flying everywhere. At that moment her grasp on her weapon was the tightest it's ever been; _she wasn't going to go down like those bastards_. She wasn't going to die so easily! She wouldn't let some smile stop her from keeping her cool and staying alive!

"That's right! These bastards deserve to die!" she shouted, pointing a coiled blade at an approaching nine meter class. "Starting with him!" Caught up in her fury and emotions, she left her teammates behind.

"Almen, wait! Dammit!" Kalia scowled, not in the mood. "Honda! Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid!"

"Got it!"

Kazue raced after her. He landed on the roof she was on and ran forward to her position. Achi was glaring at the Titan which was a few houses away. "What hell are you doing, brat?!" he shouted as he stopped behind her. "Get back to the squad! You can't just run off like that and-!"

"Shut the fuck up!" Achi growled as she turned to face him. "I won't let this bastard intimidate me!" She went back to glaring at the Titan. "I'll kill this guy really quick and be back in no time, so don't get in my way!" The auburn haired girl flew off the roof and went to the next one, getting closer to the Titan with each step.

Kazue watched as she got closer and closer to it. _That idiot_! Despite what she felt, she wasn't prepared to take on a Titan just yet, he could see it in the way she moved. She was shaking slightly, even if she didn't admit it openly. She was scared. She wanted to overcome her fear by conquering it, but what if that cost her life? He cursed under his breath, he had no choice; he'd have to stop her. Kalia was counting on him. Rushing forward and jumping off the edge of the roof, he hurried after the brat. At this point, the girl was almost right on top of the Titan, she was about to make her move!

_I'll kill you. I'll kill you, I'll kill you_! Achi hefted her coiled blades and came up to the edge of the roof she'd been running across. The Titan was just two roofs within reach of her blades. _I'll kill you_. Gulping, Achi took a foot off the roof and shot forward to the next one, this one lower, but still a fair distance from the ground. As she sailed through the air to her destination, the Titan caught notice. It turned its large head to face Achi and its lips curled into an inhuman smile. Almost as if it were laughing at her.

_ You can't kill me, little girl_.

Achi collapsed onto the roof and her eyes widened as she stared over at it. The grasp she had on her coiled blades loosed and she dropped them. They fell onto the shingles of the roof with a clang. She was frozen still.

_ Oh? What's the matter little girl? You realized it too, haven't you? That's right, you're afraid_. _You're really just a scared little girl who tries to act like something she's not, when, in reality, she's always been a useless and weak thing. Such a small thing, barely even noticeable to even your best friend. Oh, that's right, she isn't your best friend anymore. Betrayal, was it? Must have been harsh, little girl. How could you go on trusting someone after they've abandoned you?_ _How could you find it within your heart to trust that person again, to forgive them for their sins? Well, little girl? Do you have an answer? _

Achi fell to her knees and shivered. Yes, she admitted to it now, she wasn't prepared to kill this Titan. Yes, she was afraid. She snarled and slammed a fist down. No, she wasn't that useless and weak thing anymore. Yes, she had been betrayed once. No, she wouldn't be betrayed again. _A smiling bastard like yourself can't possibly understand what it means, what it means to trust and be trusted, to have doubts and fears, to be human_! She weakly got to her feet. _A smiling bastard like yourself is nothing but an abomination; a monster. I...!_

_ Baring your fangs, little girl? How cute. Such a cute thing that, in the end, won't save your pathetic waste of a life. Though, don't worry, little girl, because I'll fix that for you. Here, take my hand..._

The Titan stretched its long arm across the roof and over to Achi, much to the latter's surprise. Achi was filled with a sudden fright and fell backward onto the roof. Her weapons were within reach, but she was too scared to move. Yes, she had to admit it again, she was _scared_. Closing her eyes and waiting for inevitable, she resigned herself to her fate. Death at the hands of her own cowardice inside the jaws of one of those monsters she so despised. It had almost made her laugh, if it wasn't so sad...

"_You stupid punk_!" Kazue shouted as he shot past her. "Get out of here you stupid brat! Get back to the others, I'll handle this! Go! _Now_!" He turned back to face the nine meter Titan and grimaced, he wasn't prepared for this confrontation either.

Achi watched dumbly as Kazue ran along the Titan's arm despite his own fear and couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration for the man, but his words had been in vain because she still couldn't move; all she could do was watch. She glanced down at one of her hands; it was still shaking.

As Kazue ran the length of the Titan's arm, trying to keep his balance as it moved to intercept him slowly, he glanced back over his shoulder to see if Achi had escaped yet. He cursed under his breath when he saw that she was still sitting there. _Dumb kid, h_e thought as he went back to charging the Titan. Its smile unnerved him, but he couldn't just sit by and watch it kill a kid. After all, he'd joined the Garrison to protect people and he couldn't help but smirk, he felt like he was finally doing something good for once in his life. Yet, he didn't notice the second Titan as it approached from the side.

Achi's eyes widened in alarm at the approach of the other Titan. _She had to warn him, she had to tell him to get away_! "Pansy! Look out! There's another one to your right!"

Kazue glanced back briefly. "Don't distract me, you brat! Get the hell out of here already, that's an order!" he shouted back and in those brief moments he realized what she had meant too late. A hand slammed into the side of his upper body and cracked his rips and ruptured a few of his internal organs. Screaming, he looked over to see another Titan. There _were_ two of them! He went flying to the ground and landed on his back with a thud. His back was surely broken, he couldn't feel anything. His vision was blurred with blood and he was coughing it up as well. He laughed. _Looks like the brat was right for once_. His first genuine laugh in ages.

Achi still watched as the Titans converged on him, the one she'd been too scared to cut down lifting him up in its hands and holding him aloft in the air by his uniform. The other Titan sneered gleefully at the sight, wanting a share. Achi could see his head bleeding profusely and, in her shock, something else. Something she had to peer closely to see properly. His lips were moving in words and she tried to make them out. _Get... out... of... here. _He coughed up more blood then continued to move his lips. _That's... an... order... _

Achi nodded and gulped, he was right, she had to get out of here. Get back to Kalia and the others. She stumbled to her feet and picked up her blades, giving one last look at the scene behind her. The scene of a man who'd saved her life. "You damn pansy..." she smiled sadly, and raced off to join back with the rest of the squad.

Kazue chuckled. _Ah, that's the way. You stupid brat. Listen to your superiors_. Kazue coughed up more blood and raised his shaking hand at the Titan's face as he came level with and stared right into its eyes. He felt the other one finally reach one of his legs. Closing his eyes, he thought of his brief time in the military. _Yeah, joining the Garrison had been the right choice after all..._

/-.-.-.-\

Achi couldn't bear to look back, promising to herself that she wouldn't let his sacrifice go in vain, and yet, she wondered if she had the courage to keep that promise. The others weren't on the belltower anymore, instead on the roof directly below it. It was a tall roof, safe from any approaching Titans that may try to attack. Though, it wasn't as good a vantage point as the belltower. She landed onto the roof and looked into their faces. She didn't even have to tell them, they already knew. Looking into the face of Kalia, Achi could almost see the scars and emotions of her past etched into her pores, screaming in vain and lashing out at herself and the world around. It frightened her.

Kalia grounded her teeth and tasted fresh blood. She clenched her fists and looked down at the shingles on the roof. _I'm not losing anyone else, even if it costs me everything! Even if it costs me my life_! "Keep moving forward," she commanded in a low voice, still not looking up. "We're not done yet. Not by a long shot. And Almen, if you _ever_ run off like that again I'll kill you myself." Achi didn't say a word in response. "Nobody else is going to die, you hear me? Don't do anything stupid, you three, do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am!" The three of them shouted, saluting in unison.

Kalia touched the trinket on her neck; the bear. "Right, then let's make sure that slowpoke didn't die for nothing!" she shouted at the top of her lungs and poised her blade into the air as tears streamed down her cheeks. In that moment, she couldn't help but think of Melia.

"Yes, ma'am!"

The four remaining members of Team 83 rushed out to meet the Titans that were invading Trost still, each of them hoping that the deaths today wouldn't be for naught...

/-.-.-.-\

In the opening moments when Trost had been breached, the vanguard had been all but wiped out and driven back, leaving only the front guard to deal with the approaching Titans.

Now, the combined smell of all the deceased filled the air and it was unbearable to some, especially ones with weak stomachs like Jayce. He'd never been in this type of situation before, never smelled death before, and now that he was, could barely keep himself together as he and his squad as they watched out for anymore Titans. Jayce looked over at Achi, but she was quiet and hadn't said anything since the incident with Kazue. He wondered if she felt guilty that he had died, but Jayce thought that she shouldn't be because the man died doing what he wanted to in the end. The four of them would not let his death go to waste along the countless others who've died thus far; they had to do something to make up for the lost numbers. _For all the death_. Jayce felt something come up his throat and cupped a hand over his mouth, hastily swallowing it down, and gasping for air.

"Don't get sick on us now, Mundis." Kalia called over her shoulder from the front of the squad. She'd led them from their previous position at the belltower closer towards the gate. Out of the four, she had the most experience and knew what to watch out for. Jayce wiped around his mouth and nodded that he was alright as they continued on their way.

"There's nobody down below in the streets anymore," Fritz commented, looking down. There were streaks of blood and rubble, but no people.

"The Titans have probably swept through this area and eaten everyone that they could find. If there is anyone still alive down there, they're hold up in a house and being careful not to make any noise. It's the only thing they can do in this situation. Once we get past this area we'll circle back around to HQ and refill our gas canisters again, we can't take any chances. If we run low on fuel, we're as good as dead."

`Fritz blinked. _Kalia was a great leader_. He wondered how much she'd been through to be as calm as she was given the situation. Like when Kazue died. She'd just told them to suck it up and not let his death be in vain, to use the time to kill as many of them as possible, to drive them out of Trost if possible. Looking around at the condition of the town, his town, Fritz wondered again if there would be anything left saving. His thoughts immediately went to his family. _He hoped they were safe_.

"Brandt, don't make that face." Kalia said as they landed on the roof of a nearby building. "The situation isn't hopeless just yet." She glanced over at Achi and frowned. The girl was staring towards the gate again, she'd been doing that ever since Kazue sacrificed himself to save her. This was the second time since they'd taken a rest to figure out their next move that she'd just blankly stare. Kalia was worried that her threat from earlier had taken on a negative effect. "Almen, you alright?" she asked, the girl turning to silently look at her now. Kalia smiled sadly. "It wasn't your fault that Honda died, that guy had always wanted to die saving someone and he got his wish, so don't feel bad." Achi still didn't respond and went back to stare in the direction of the gate. Kalia made a mental note to keep an eye on her. With the way she was now, anything could happen. "Alright, kids, this is where things get more complicated. Don't engage any Titans without backup and don't engage them at all if there are more than three in the area. Despite how clumsily they move, they can still converge and eat you if you aren't paying attention. Having the deal with one is enough, yeah?" She fiddled with her necklace and waited until the three of them were ready to move again. "Spread out a little, don't hold a tight formation!" she shouted without looking back. "It'll lessen the chance that we'll all get taken out in one sweep!" If she were to die, Kalia wondered what they'd do without her.

They were still raw after all, no experience, and no matter how confident one thought they were, once they faced a Titan for real there was no telling how they'd react. This had been evident with Achi. She wished Kazue were still alive, his grumbling nature helped to lighten the mood. Her thoughts went back to Melia and she became oblivious to everything else.

_ I'm afraid. I shouldn't be_. Achi thought as she looked ahead of the squad. She gripped one of her coiled blades tightly. _So, why am I shaking_? Her mind went back to the scene of Kazue just before he died. The smiles on those monsters' faces. _That's right, I..._ She still couldn't face those smiles. Yet...

She knew she had to overcome her fear and clenched her teeth. _I can't be scared forever. I have to overcome this fear_. _For the sake of my family, my friends, my village. For the sake of- _Movement ahead, out of the corner of her eye, caught her attention and a chill went through her. _There's another one! Another one of those bastards_! She gulped and looked over at Kalia. Had the older woman noticed the threat ahead? She had to warn her. Achi opened her mouth to shout, but nothing came out. She silently laughed to herself. _Oh, that's right. I'm still..._

Fritz noticed Achi's movements and looked where she had been and saw it. A Titan. It was right ahead of them now, but Kalia didn't seem to notice it! He cursed under his breath and his thoughts went back to Kazue. He had to do something before another person died! It was too late to warn her of the danger, so he had to act fast! He exhausted more gas and flew faster in the air, shooting past Jayce and startling him.

"Fritz?! What's wrong?!" he asked and looked ahead of him, seeing it too. "A Titan?! Fritz! You're not actually going to...?!" _Did the squad leader notice, or was she..._? "_Kalia_!"

Kalia heard Jayce call her name as soon as Fritz flew past her and snapped her focus back to reality. _What the hell is he doing_?! she thought just before noticing what the others had. How could she have missed it?!

A Titan was hunched over behind a building up ahead, but it didn't seem to have noticed them yet. Though, as soon as they passed, it surely would and there was no telling what type it was until that happened. There was danger in just guessing and as she watched Fritz, the realization of what he was about to do hit her; hard. "Brandt, don't! You don't know what-!" The boy was moving too fast to hear her, and she cursed loudly. _Stupid boy! Ines, your little brother is exactly like you described_! "You two," she pointed one of her blades at a nearby house. "Hold position on that roof and don't move! Watch out for any dangers and if you spot any, call out to me immediately. I'm going to stop Brandt!" As the two of them peeled off, she turned back around and let out more of her gas reserves to catch up with Fritz. He was almost upon the Titan!

Fritz couldn't think clearly. _What was he doing_? Now that he thought about it, it was a stupid thing to do. Attacking a Titan without any backup or clear idea of what it was. The sound of his wires caused the Titan to arch its back and stand to its full height. _It was thirteen meters tall_! A sudden fear gripped him as he stared into its eyes. _Was this what Achi had felt_? he thought as he came closer. _Is this what fear really is_? He shook his head. No, he wouldn't let his fear overcome him! He had to slay this monster before anyone else died! Maneuvering to the side, he avoided one of the monster's arms as he circled wide. He could see it, the nape of the neck! He acted quickly, but so did the Titan. It was fast for its size and he hadn't anticipated that, as it drew its arm and swiped at him. He barely avoided getting smashed flat and cursed. He had to circle around for another-!

The Titan's head was right in front of his path. It was too late! He couldn't maneuver out of the way! Its mouth opened and he pulled back on his wire to stop his momentum, flying backwards. He had to get away from its jaws or he was done for! One of his legs hit one its hand and he lost his balance, spinning as he fell. He could see the ground below him, rushing up to meet him. _He was going to die_! Twisting around, he shot his wires at a nearby building and felt a jerk. His eyes widened in surprise. The Titan was already reaching for his wire! It was going to kill him! He braced himself as he unhooked his wire and tumbled onto the roof of the building, shingles flying everywhere as scraped himself on their hard surface. He came to a stop just at the edge of the roof, an arm dangling over the edge. He was dizzy and couldn't see straight. His head hurt and he couldn't stand. A rough landing.

Kalia saw as Fritz slide across the roof and came to a stop just on its edge and cursed again. _The Titan wouldn't wait for him to recover before it-_! The Titan already had the boy in its grasp and hoisted him into the air, right above its open mouth. _No, I won't let it happen_! As soon as the Titan let go of Fritz, about to swallow him whole, Kalia used the last of her gas to reach an incredible speed and gripped her hands around her coiled blades. Slamming into him, she caught the boy and the two of them tumbled down – straight into the Titan's mouth and down its throat! The world became dark as its jaws closed around them.


	7. Fatal Escape

**Chapter Seven: Fatal Escape**

Kalia dug her blade into the flesh of the Titan's throat to stop their momentum downward, but only succeeded in it snapping because of their combined weight. Her hand was nicked as it scraped against the broken piece now lodged into its flesh as they continued to fall. Taking a firmer grip on Fritz's uniform, she braced for the splash when they hit its stomach juices, but was startled when the sound was more meaty than expected. She had landed on top of Fritz and he was lying on top of another person, that person piled on top of another, and the cycle repeated. All around them, there were corpses floating in the juices, body parts that had been taken from their owners, and blood that had all mixed in to create a black mess that swirled around. The stink was surprisingly sweet, but the sight only made one gag. Kalia stared up the Titan's throat, only seeing dark outlines of its muscles and other fleshy parts; the thing's mouth had already closed. She leaned around and shook Fritz a little. He needed to wake up. Now wasn't the time to be sleeping.

"Hey Brandt," she whispered into his ear. "Can you hear me?" He was breathing but didn't respond and she shook him harder. "Wake up."

/-.-.-.-\

"Fritz!" Jayce shouted as he and Achi had seen them fall into the Titan's mouth. He looked over at Achi. "They've been eaten!" he told her, searching her face for any sign of her own reaction.

Achi blinked and opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out but air. She turned her attention back to the Titan and bit down on her lower lip. "We have to get them out," she said after a beat of silence and her hands curled tightly around her coiled blades once again. This time she wasn't going to be afraid of taking one of them down.

"Wait! You can't just rush out like last time!" Jayce countered, holding out a hand to stop her. "We need to wait and see what it does before doing anything else!"

"But what about Kalia and Fritz?!"

Jayce clenched his teeth. The two of them wouldn't last long in there, so what were the two of them supposed to do? If they rushed the Titan, there was the possibility that they'd both die as well and accomplish nothing. "We'll have to follow it at a distance."

"And what if we're too late then?"

"We _won't_ be."

/-.-.-.-\

Gurgling sounds and the smell of blood; sweat. It was all there was as she lied in the dark atop Fritz; he still hadn't woken up. She was thankful he wasn't dead, but he still needed to wake up. No one else was alive in the Titan's stomach save for her and Fritz and she guessed the others must have been inside its stomach for a long time. If one wasn't killed outright before being eaten, they only had a few minutes to an hour of life left to spare before they succumb to death. She and Fritz had been lucky in that regard, as they had suffered no life threatening injuries, so the two of them had at least an hour or more to live. The thought made her croak, of all the places to die, it would be the one place she'd never wanted anyone else to die in.

She felt movement underneath her and turned her head. Fritz had moved. "Hey, Brandt, you awake?" she asked again and there was a cough in response. "Hey! Come on, wake up!" she shouted as loudly as she dared and nudged him softly. If the two of them were able to move, then she may be able to pull off an escape. Since they weren't submerged in the juices of the Titan's stomach, their equipment wasn't damaged and unusable. They still had a chance to get out! She tried shaking him again. "Dammit, wake up already!"

The air around her was increasingly getting hotter and hotter as the stomach juices of the Titan boiled already decaying corpses and body parts. She felt it bubble and pop below her feet, which were dangling off the mound of bodies. Some of the juices splashed on her boots and she could feel the warmth as they ate at the leather. To keep her mind off the stench, she thought of the friend who'd given her the necklace: Melia Rines. Her smiling face, the tune she always hummed when there was nothing to do. Melia would always hum that same tune and when Kalia had asked her where it was from, she had said "my village". The tune was clear in her mind as water in a fountain and her voice mingled with the sounds of death around her.

A woman's voice. He could hear it. Weakly, slowly, heavily, Fritz opened his eyes. Everything was dark and humid. Blindness; was he blind? Did the Titan take his sight away? There was a heavy weight on top of him and he could hardly breath. He tried to reach out with his hands and they grasped on to something soft. Something moist. It was stretchy as he pulled on it and he could hear it making noise that sounded like "_that's my face_", but he wasn't sure. Reaching down further, his hands felt something rough. It felt to be of the same material his own uniform was made of. Underneath, a strap of some kind; a harness. Directly underneath that was something soft; cloth. He felt around, whatever it was, it was soft and round in shape and there were two points that-

"What the hell are you doing asshole?" a woman's voice shouted in anger and he felt a painful stab in his side. The woman had elbowed him in the ribs.

"Ow!" he winced as his eyes adjusted to the dark, the backside of a woman and her curly hair was in his face. "Huh...?"

"It's me you asshole!" the woman shouted again.

"K-Kalia?"

"Yes! It's me!" she replied angrily and jabbed him in the side again.

"Ow! What the hell!?"

"That's for being an asshole and this one," she did it again, "is for getting us into this mess! I told you three specifically _not_ rush off and try to take down a Titan on your own!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't-!"

Kalia wasn't listening to him as she quickly explained all the plan she had for getting them out. The plan was to use their intact 3D Maneuver Gear to climb up the Titan's throat and cut their way out of its mouth. Her blades were broken and she didn't want to use her spares in case they'd need them later on. She'd instruct him on how to cut out of the Titan's mouth once they got to that point, but for now they needed to focus on actually getting there. Fritz had just groaned in response.

/-.-.-.-\

Achi was already bored from having to sit down and watch it do nothing. He hadn't even moved a millimeter yet! She kicked another shingle off the roof, the whole thing was bullshit. On the other hand, Jayce was looking intensely at the Titan for any sudden signs of movement.

"Do you have a staring fetish too?" she asked, sniffing loudly.

"A what?"

"A staring fetish."

"No. Hey, look, it's moving!"

He was right, the Titan had turned and was heading in the direction of the belltower from earlier. There were inhuman roars coming from that direction and the Titan must have heard them. Achi wondered if it was a rallying call. This was it, after it was distracted she'd kill it. Screw what Jayce thought, screw her own fear. Screw everything but her hatred. _She'd kill it_.

"Where the hell is it going?" Achi wondered aloud as she and Jayce carefully followed it from a distance. "In the direction of that howling?"

"Seems like it," Jayce replied. The two of them were suspended on their wires as they waited for it to change directions. It was now headed in the direction of headquarters.

/-.-.-.-\

"Dig your blade deeper into the muscle!" Kalia shouted from below, her feet sticking to the flesh of the Titan's inner throat. "Or else it'll just slip!"

"Easy for you to say dammit!" Fritz shouted back, trying to see where he was going. It was obviously up, but he could barely see his hand in front of his face, even after his eyes had became adjusted. "How far do we have to keep going?" he asked, glancing down. He thought he saw her frown and scratch her nose.

Kalia rubbed the back of her head and immediately regretted it; there was slime on her hand and now it was in her hair. She shook her hand free of the slime and looked up at her fellow escapee. "Well, I don't really know, to tell you the true..."

"What do you mean '_you don't really know_'? Aren't you supposed to know these kind of things?!"

"Like I'd know how to navigate the inside of a Titan's throat!"

Stab. Release. Move up. Stab. Move up. Release. Repeat. He couldn't do this anymore, his arms were cramping up. He looked down to Kalia and scowled. "I'm at my limit," he whined.

"Well too bad, keep going."

Despite his grumbling, he kept going. They had to get out, he knew that. Stopping now wasn't an option. Moving slowly, a little bit at a time, the throat became narrower and opened up to a larger hole at the top. Saliva fell down on his face and he grimaced. "I think I found the tongue."

"Good, we're almost there," Kalia replied. "Stab his tongue once you get close enough and I'll use my Gear to propel us upward and out of its mouth. If its tongue is stabbed, it'll open its mouth."

"Are you sure about that?"

"No, but once I bit my tongue while I was eating and I opened my mouth widely to complain, so..."

_Was Kalia one of the idiots of __her __trainee squad too_? Fritz thought, coming to a part of the throat that was slick in feeling and guessing that this must've been the tongue. Jamming his blade into it, it came off with saliva as he pulled it back out. He moved up and did the same thing over and over until he'd reached the open area of the mouth and saw the backs of teeth. "Ok, I'm at the top."

"Now _stab_ it."

/-.-.-.-\

Jayce and Achi watched as the Titan now moved around awkwardly and bopping its head out of nowhere.

"Did he finish digesting that idiot?" Achi commented dryly.

"It looks like... he's going to throw up..." Jayce observed and held up a hand so Achi didn't do anything reckless.

The Titan threw its head back and opened its mouth, but nothing came out. Then, it knelt over and slammed into a nearby building and seemed to cough something up. It stood straight again and started in the direction of headquarters like it was originally doing, as if it had just gotten rid of a pesky hairball.

"That's kinda... _gross_..." Achi commented again, making a disgusted facial expression. "You think he threw them up?"

"Maybe, we should wait for it to move a little further ahead and then see what happened."

/-.-.-.-\

Kalia wiped drool off of her sleeve, pain shooting up her arm. She grimaced and clutched her shoulder; her arm was broken. She looked over at Fritz, who had gotten knocked out when his head had hit one of the Titan's teeth. His forehead was bleeding as well, but other than that he looked to be relatively unharmed. _This boy is more trouble than he's worth. _Kalia smiled and then puffed her cheeks in annoyance. _But dammit, quit being unconscious all the time_! She wanted to kick him awake but knew better and instead lifted him by the arm. She'd have to find a place to put him down to tend to the wound on his head before doing anything else.

After Fritz had stabbed its tongue, apparently it needed to spit up its food and immediately did so, regurgitating all the dead bodies and body parts that had been floating around in its stomach. Luckily, she'd managed to get them out before the combined sack of decay had greeted them, but in her haste she'd skidded into the side of the building and destroyed her right arm. It hurt like hell, but she had to keep going. She had to keep the boy alive, she wasn't about to let another person she cared about die under her watch. She limped away slowly from the bile that the Titan had coughed up, humming the tune that Melia had always sung.

/-.-.-.-\

"There's nothing," Jayce said after he looked over the sack of decaying corpses and body parts a second time. "Everything in there is rotting. If Fritz and Kalia were in it, they'd be trying to get out."

"Maybe they already got out." Achi added. She looked in the direction the Titan had went. She still wanted to kill the fucker, but Jayce had convinced her that finding the two of them came first. "If we search this sack of shit, you think we'd find them mixed in?"

"You want to put your hand in there?"

"Good point."

Jayce covered his mouth and glanced around at the buildings on either side of the street. The sack that the Titan had regurgitated was pressed up against a window and had broken the glass, slime and shards everywhere. If the two of them were to have any hope of finding Fritz and Kalia, they'd have to split up and individually search each house. "If we look around these houses, there is a chance they could be in one of them." He pointed at the row of houses on his right. "I'll check these first few houses and you check the ones on the left side. If you find anything, let me know. I'll do the same if I find anything."

Achi raised an eyebrow. "And who made you in charge all of a sudden?"

"I don't see you coming up with any ideas, Achi."

"Fuck off," she retorted and stormed off without looking back. "I'll do it, but don't expect me to find anything!"

Jayce faintly smiled as he watched her enter the first house. She was so stubborn that she didn't want to admit that she was worried for them as well. He looked over at his side and sighed, hopefully the two of them could find them before anything else happened. Death wasn't an easy thing to see and he would rather not like to see anymore of it.

Achi stepped over an upturned table and felt her boot sink into something soft. She scowled and peered down at spilled food caking the bottom of her boot. _Just great__, _she thought, proceeding to stomp on the mess. More food was scattered on the floor, as well as drinks and chairs. _Were they__ were having __lunch_? she wondered, picking up a cracked plate off the floor and wiping some dust off.

"I'll make those bastards pay," she whispered and dug her nails into the plate, scratching its surface and causing more cracks to form. Setting the plate down on a nearby counter, her eye caught a glimpse of photographs on the opposite wall. Slowly walking over, she looked up at once had been a family. A husband, a wife, and two kids. She clenched a hand into a fist at her side, _they were probably dead now_. Searching the house some, there was nothing else to be found and certainly not the two they were searching for. There were stairs that led to a second floor and she eased her way up the stairs, the steps creaking. On the second floor, there were three more rooms, the first two were empty and had nothing of value. Both were bedrooms and Achi guess the first one must have been for the parents because the bed was larger than the second room's, and it looked to be that the second room was the eldest child's. Not wanting to linger, she moved on to the last room of the house: the third room, the youngest child's.

It was bare except for a small bed and a dresser with a mirror mounted on top. A young girl's room.. Achi carefully maneuvered her way around the room for anything that stood out and came to the edge of the bed. Underneath the sheets on the far side was a straw doll. She picked it up and inspected it on all sides. Sadness tugged at the strings of her heart as she filled with anger and saved the hatred for when she'd confront a Titan again. _Yes, she'd make them pay_. Pocketing the toy, she took one last glance around the room before leaving to the next house down the row.

/-.-.-.-\

The bleeding had stopped finally. Kalia had compressed a piece of cloth onto Fritz's head wound and kept having to replace it, but now after the fifth one it'd finally stopped. She had propped him under the window of one of the house onlooking the street just in case any Titans would happen to peer inside, all they'd see would be broken furniture and blood. When she had found this house and decided to use it as shelter, it had smelt of dried blood and fruits, a sickening combination. It was a relatively small house, but out of all the ones she'd managed to scour in the little time she'd had since she had hauled Fritz along, this house was the only one with clean water and what passed as a first aid kit. When she'd found the makeshift wooden box with gauze and other cheap medical equipment inside, she'd silently thanked the family that had once lived here. She didn't know where they were now, but if they were alive, she'd prayed that they were safe from harm. Her broken arm had bruised up and swollen in the short amount of time she'd been in the house tending to Fritz and she had wrapped some spare cloth around it to lessen the bleeding.

Now, she had to work on it some more. The cloth was damp and useless, so she carefully took it off. Rolling up her sleeve and wincing at each spike of pain, she assessed the damage. The bone hadn't seemed to have broken through the skin, so that was a relief, but she could feel multiple fractures despite this. The swelling and bruising was clear evidence of this. There was a technique she had learned that temporarily sets the bones back in place called reduction. It didn't work with severe cases like hers, but it didn't hurt to try. Feeling along the sides of her forearm, she felt for any fractures that could be set and upon finding one, she tried setting it back in place. Pain shot up her arm and she immediately cried out from its intensity; the bones in her arm were completely crushed, broken into several pieces.

She gave up on trying to fix the broken arm and gently laid it across her lap. The only thing she could hope for now was rescue. Perhaps Mundis and Almen were nearby and searching for them. Looking at the ceiling, Kalia was wishing that were true. She wished that if it really were true, that they'd hurry up and find them already as she now clutched her side. The broken arm wasn't the only injury she'd sustained, and it was far from the _worst_.

/-.-.-.-\

Jayce stepped over to the window of the house he was currently searching and called over to the other side of the street upon spotting Achi. "Find anything yet?" he asked.

"No." Achi shouted back, but the look on her face said otherwise. She had found something, but it clearly wasn't Fritz or Kalia. He didn't feel the need to pry.

"Well keep searching! They couldn't have gotten far!"

"Yeah, yeah," Achi waved him off and entered the next house on her side, obviously not wanting to be given orders by a person such as himself.

Jayce wondered why that was. Was it because of their different backgrounds? He leaned against the windowsill for a second and looked down at the street. He was on the second floor of the house and had realized that most of these houses had second stories to them. Fritz and Kalia would probably be on the first floor as it must be strenuous for the two of them to be climbing up and down stairs. They must have sustained some injuries during their escape, but Jayce hoped he was wrong and the two of them were unharmed. Pushing away from the windowsill, he knew that hope was hollow.

/-.-.-.-\

_Come on, kid_. Kalia poked Fritz a third time since she'd sat down. He was out cold again. She looked at the ceiling again and sighed. _Damn Ines, is he always this out of it when he's _out of it? She flexed the fingers on her broken arm. Good, she could still move them, albeit with some difficulty, but that was to expected. To keep her mind off the pain and their dire situation, she thought of the first time she'd met Melia. Her vision was getting blurry and her head was feeling as light as a feather. The wound at her side was fatal, she now realized, and she couldn't help but laugh. At least she wasn't dying in a Titan's stomach. She looked over at Fritz once again and rubbed his hair. _It must be nice having a little brother like him, huh Ines_?


	8. Loss

**Chapter Eight: Loss**

He thought he could hear it, the sound of a woman's voice. The sound of her voice as it hummed a tune he wasn't familiar with as he opened his eyes.

A wooden floor was the first thing he noticed; a dirty and blood stained floor. Furniture was scattered everywhere; most of it broken. His legs were stretched out before him and he could feel something wet underneath his body. It was warm as it soaked his hands. The palms were covered in something red. Something fresh and familiar to his senses. It took him a moment to realize what it really was: _blood_.

"H..." the woman's voice started to say, coughing. "Hey... Brandt... didn't think you'd wake up," Kalia wheezed, weakly clutching her side. She looked pale and small, the room seemly overshadowing her presence. "We made it out, but," she removed her hand, blood coming off it as she revealed a tear in her uniform; a deep gash visible. "I got nicked during the fall." His face dropped. She smiled and looked away. "It really looks that bad, huh?" She coughed again and blood trickled down her chin. "And here I thought it wasn't so bad," Kalia looked over at him again. "I can't feel it anymore, that's why... probably..."

Fritz frantically searched for anything else to compress it with as he pressed his hands over the wound. He saw a wooden box that looked to be a makeshift first aid kit and scrambled for it, but found nothing that'd be of any use, so he tossed it.

"The box is empty, I already used all the gauze and cloth that was available," she said and pointed to her forehead.

There were no visible injuries and Fritz was puzzled until she pointed from hers to his. He felt around his head. _She'd used up most of the g__au__ze and cloth on him_! His eyes widened then became hard with a sudden anger.

"Why the hell would you do that?! Aren't you in a worse condition than me?!" he shouted, indicating at her side.

"I couldn't just let you bleed out, what would have Ines said if I'd let that happen? Brandt, take a good look at this," she removed her hand from the gash again and peered down at it. "Do you really think some gauze and cloth would fix this?" Kalia laughed weakly, sadly. "I had a decision to make and I chose it," she lifted a finger toward him. "So don't worry about it. The other two are out there looking for us." Sure enough, shouts could be heard nearby. "It took them long enough, I was beginning to think they wouldn't find you."

"Don't you mean _us_?" Fritz laughed in denial. "I-I-I mean," he held out a hand to touch her but it stopped before even reaching her. It was shaking. "They're going to find both of us, right?"

Kalia laughed again. "Oh yeah, that's right isn't it? They would find both of us, wouldn't they?" She shook her head and looked at the ceiling. Her eyes had softened, tears visible. After a moment of silence she sighed and looked at him again, smiling. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I'll be able to help you find your sister..."

Fritz stumbled forward on his hands and grasped her shoulders. "Hey, look at me!" he cried. "There' still a chance!" He felt along her right arm, it was broken.

She put a bloody finger to his lips and hushed him. "Save your tears. I'm not worth crying over, a fool like me..." Her breathing was shallow and her eyes were getting darker, as if the light was leaving them. Hunching forward, she fell onto his chest and rested her chin on his shoulder.

He could feel her blood soaking into his uniform as he embraced her. "Hey, don't..."

"Can you do me a favor?" she whispered into his ear. "When you see Ines or Petra, or _hell_, if you even see Anka, can you ask them about the flowers?" She coughed again, more blood spattering onto his shoulder. "I'd really..." her voice became weaker and he didn't catch her next words. The light in her eyes finally dimmed and she let out one last sigh.

Fritz felt her slack against him and he held her tighter. _No, she wasn't dead_. Even though he hadn't caught them, he could still visualize the two words she'd said; _appreciate it_. That was when his cries started.

Jayce could hear screaming. Howls of agony mixed with rage. Weeping. _Fritz! _He put down what he was holding and rushed outside into the street. He called over to the other side. "Achi! Achi! I can hear Fritz!" Achi popped her head from a nearby window, her face contorted into a scowl.

"Don't yell so loud, dammit!" she yelled back, rubbing an ear.

"Come on, Fritz is nearby!" he called over, quieter this time, and started off in the direction he'd heard the screaming.

"Hey, wait up!" Achi exclaimed as she scrambled over the windowsill and hurried after him. "What about Kalia?" she asked, huffing alongside him.

"I don't know! I only heard Fritz's voice!"

"Damn," Achi cursed under her breath. She increased her pace and overtook Jayce, wanting to confirm for herself what she feared the most; another death.

Fritz held onto Kalia, she was still warm and the blood still damp. He had stopped crying, only to replace it with tears. Grasping her hand in his, he squeezed it and buried his face into her shoulder. He could heard the clatter of boots on pavement and he knew that they arrived too late, and set her gently to rest against the wall. He sat on his knees and just stared blankly at her as Jayce and Achi burst through the door with sorrowful looks on their faces seconds later.

"Fritz! What-!"

"Dead. She's _dead_."

"Goddammit!" Achi kicked the leg of a chair and it skidded across the floor. "_This..._" She curled a hand into a fist and bloodied her knuckles against a wall in silence. Her eyes were intensely on the ground

Jayce crouched down to get eye level with his friend. "Fritz, we can't stay here," he said pointedly. It was cruel, but the smell of fresh blood could potentially attract unwanted attention. Fritz shrugged him off, not looking from Kalia's body. "We can't stay here, it's too dangerous. Kalia would have understood. We have to-"

"Shut up." Fritz interrupted under his breath. "Just shut up." His eyes still wouldn't leave her body, his mind blank as he was in a state of shock and disbelief.

Jayce frowned and looked at him, he refused to look at the body of Kalia, and focused his eyes on his friend, but didn't say anything more. What was he supposed to say? He wasn't a leader, he wasn't a motivational speaker, he didn't know how to honor Kalia's passing with just empty words. He wasn't _her_. Going over what Kalia had last told them, he knew that it was best to go back to Headquarters to refuel and reorganize their tactics, it's what Kalia would have done in this situation. He had to fill that role now. Yet, no words would come to him.

The palm of her hand against the wall, Achi's eyes darted from Kalia's body to Fritz. It made her sick. After all that's happened, he's just going to sit there and do nothing. It made her sick. An anger filled her as she remembered her old self, but at least she'd done something about her parent's deaths. At least she stayed alive and didn't give up for their sake and her own. At least she didn't do _nothing_! Clenching her teeth, she didn't want to see the sorry state Fritz was in; it was pathetic. She loomed over him, scowling.

"Hey, you stupid bastard, get up." No response. "I said: _get up_." Still, he didn't respond. She grabbed him by the collar and lifted. "How many times do I have to say it, you fucking bastard?" she growled, shaking him. "Are you just going to sit here like a useless shit, thinking about the past when you've been given another opportunity to live for the future, huh? Are you just going to throw away the chance she's given to you?! _Huh_?! What the fuck was the point of the two of them dying if you're just going to do nothing? Do you know how _pissed off_ that makes me? If you want to cry yourself to sleep and think about what you could have done, then go do it somewhere else, or better yet, go get eaten by a fucking Titan because I don't want your sorry ass near me!"

"_Achi!_"

"We don't have time for this and you know it! We can't stay here, you said it yourself!"

Jayce grasped her by the wrist. "But that doesn't mean you have to get in his face like that!" he protested as she tore away from him.

"Then what do _you_ suggest we do? Sit here and wait for him to get over it?"

"We'll just have to carry him like before."

"Can we knock him out then?"

"No. We'll have to leave Kalia here, we can't carry both of the them."

Fritz lifted his head to look at Jayce. _Leave her_? They couldn't just leave her here!

"What did you say?" he asked with contempt in his voice.

"Didn't you hear him, you stupid bastard? We're leaving Kalia here and going on to HQ like she ordered us to."

"But we can't just-!"

"What's more important to you, a corpse or the actual person who used to be that corpse? Would you really choose the cold body over the memories?" Achi asked in an even colder voice than before. A distant voice that spoke about her past. "Well, I'd want to honor her memory and not her dead body. I don't know about your sorry ass though." He saw the look in her eyes; the same as before. That dead and haunted look and bowed his head.

"Can we at least come back to get her..." he whispered.

"Yes, we will." Jayce interjected and the two of them watched as Fritz up Kalia's hands in her lap and made sure her eyes were closed. "There's nothing we can do about all the blood, but we-"

Fritz smiled sadly and wiped his eyes. "No, this is enough..." He got up and turned to face them.

/-.-.-.-\

"Uh! It's so loud!" Achi complained, covering her ears. A temporary withdraw had started _fwwoooooing _in their ears since leaving Kalia's body.

"Something must have happened!" Jayce shouted over the noise and pointed over at Headquarters. "Look!"

It was being swarmed and crawled on from all sides by Titans.

They couldn't hope to replenish their gas canisters now! There was arguing and bickering to their left, most of the surviving trainees haiving gathered there on a cluster of rooftops. They had sensed it too...

_Total desperation. Fear. Agony. Defeat._

It was all mingling together as all the teams gathered and their feelings connected. All their feelings of loss.


	9. Counterattack

**Chapter Nine: Counterattack**

"Hey, what's everyone doing?" Jayce asked around the rooftops, trying to get a grasp of the overall situation. The only think he got back was a wave of the hand or a blank stare. It was useless, nobody was willing to talk about their experiences or anyone else's. He couldn't blame them, though, as no matter what happened up until this point, the situation that was presented to them now was too much to bear. If you tack on anything that happened before, and add in the atmosphere surrounding everyone, then you really couldn't blame them for their actions. For losing hope. Still, he needed to know. He wasn't going to stop asking until-

"What do we do?!" someone screamed in frustration.

Jean had a hand on his head, as if it hurt to think and the other boy opened his mouth as if to say something, but nothing came out. Jean looked up and opened his mouth again; this time words came out.

"T-there isn't anything _to_ do," he said, his gaze focused on Headquarters. "The order to evacuate finally came," a pause, "but we're out of gas and unable to climb the Wall. I guess that means we're all dead then, thanks to those cowards!" He laughed cruelly, out of stress and hopelessness. "I can understand that they lost the will to fight, their feelings, but they shouldn't have abandoned their supply mission and holed up in HQ! The Titans are gathering, so we can't get over there to replenish our gas!"

"Okay then!" Connie came forward and pumped a fist into the air. "The only thing we can do is risk it all to kill the swarming Titans over there! The result's gonna be the same if we just sit around here, right!? The Titans will be all over us here, too! And if we keep trying to pointlessly escape, it'll just waste the last bit of gas that we _do_ have! Once our option of mobility is totally gone, then it really is all over, right?!"

Jean rubbed his hair and smiled gravely. "You're using your head for once Connie," his smile turned into a haunted frown, "but do you really think we could take them on with this many troops? Most of the advanced guard has been wiped out, who among us in the training corps can take command of a desperate situation like that?" he asked, but wasn't expecting an answer and continued: "Well... I guess that doesn't matter, since even with a leader, we wouldn't be able to do anything against the Titans. I bet there are three to five meter Titans in the supply room alone. Of course, it'd be impossible to move around in those conditions." He looked down and was silent.

"N-no way, you really think...?"

"It was a boring life..."

Jayce was forced to agree with him, there really was no telling what the conditions at Headquarters were actually like if all they were doing was observing from the outside. He wasn't a leader, so him leading them for a confrontation with the Titans was out of the question. He wondered how long it would take for it to fall completely.

/-.-.-.-\

Sasha was on an adjacent rooftop and had also overheard Jean's words, but she wasn't one to lose hope. Seeing how everyone was dejected and quiet, she cleared her throat.

"Let's do it!" she shouted, turning to the people closest to her. They didn't even so much as glance in her direction. No, she wasn't about to give up just yet. "Come on, everyone! On your feet!" she shouted even louder and put her hands up. "If everybody works together, I'm sure we'll make it!" She smiled and raised her hands above her head as if to say _"wooohoo!"_ but nobody indulged her. Glancing around, nobody was responding; a beat of sweat rolled down her forehead. "I-I'll take vanguard, guys!" Still, there was nothing. No even a grunt of surprise. "E-everyone?"

Nobody did anything and she went silent for a moment. Looking around for anyone she knew would help, she spotted Armin sitting against a tower.

"Hey Armin! Help me get everyone pumped...!"

Armin was still as a stone and didn't even seem to acknowledge her presence and she pouted, leaning back up and shaking her head. She'd have to try someone else, but Armin had been her best bet. Who could possibly...?

That was when she spotted Fritz, who was staring out with his back turned to her. Snickering, she crept over and came up behind him, then suddenly touched his shoulders to startle him. He didn't move. She pouted again and came around and stared into his face; they were the same height so it was easy.

"Hey, Fritz, can you help me get everyone up and at 'em?" she asked energetically, but he didn't even look at her and she scowled slightly. _No, she wasn't about to give up just yet either_! Putting her hands on her hips, she leaned into his face and stared directly into his eyes, as if trying to peer into his soul. _She wasn't going to lose_.

/-.-.-.-\

"What are those two doing?" Achi asked Krista who was standing next to her with Ymir. The three of them had been silently keeping each other company but whatever Sasha was doing had caught her attention and now Fritz was there too.

"I... don't really know..." Krista replied, her voice trailing off as she was also watching the two of them.

"It doesn't matter what those two are doing," Ymir interjected, looking over at Headquarters, watching the Titans with her arms crossed. "The only thing that matters right now it's what happening _right now_. We can't get to HQ because of the Titans and we can't escape because can't make it to HQ. We can't refuel our gas, we're a bunch of sitting targets here, waiting for the shit to rain down." She clicked her tongue and thumbed over at Armin. "Losers like him only make that worse, we don't have the fighting strength to go against the Titans over near HQ. It'd just be voluntary suicide. If only Eren and the rest weren't..."

"What did happen to the rest of his squad? I only see him sitting there, and he looks pretty shaken." Achi asked, turning to address Ymir, but she just sniffed and looked towards Headquarters again.

"I don't feel like wasting my breath," she retorted disinterestedly, as if the subject was already starting to bore her.

"We found him frozen on a rooftop alone and he was hysterical. He wouldn't respond to anything we said to try and snap him out of it, and when he finally did, he screamed and pulled at his hair." Krista pulled gently at her own hair to mimic the action. "Connie tried to help him, but he ran off to the rearguard and in the end wound up here with the rest of us. I'm not sure what-"

"Forget that loser already, Krista."

"Ymir! Did you not see the emotional state he was in?! He was-!"

"I know how he was! I was there too! But it's like I had said before: the life of that loser wasn't and still _isn't_ worth the sacrifices of Eren and the others..."

Achi's eyes widened in surprise at the mention of sacrifices, and then vanished just as quickly. "Are you saying that the rest of his squad was...?"

Krista turned back to her with watery eyes. "Yes, it appears that the rest of his squad was-"

"They became Titan ground beef." Ymir chuckled wickedly with a tone of apathy. "Apparently they're all dead and Armin over there is the only one left."

/-.-.-.-\

Fritz couldn't ignore Sasha's eyes any longer and blinked; he'd lost. "Sasha, I..."

"Help me!"

Fritz held up his hands and backed away a few paces. "I can't! Look at everyone here!" he cast his arm over the majority of the people behind him, "They've lost their wills to fight! They have no spark!" he shouted and glanced down at one of his hands, which was still covered in Kalia's dried blood. "And, I can understand them... their pain..." He looked up and smiled sadly. "I-"

"I don't want to hear that from you!" Sasha exclaimed angrily and shook her fists at him. "The Fritz I know isn't ever discouraged! He's always cheerful and positive, just like me!" She put a hand on his shoulder. "You and me, we're alike!"

Fritz didn't know whether to feel thankful or insulted. "But, Sasha, I-!"

"No! You can't be like everyone else! You can't lose hope! We can rally them together if we try hard enough! If we just-!"

"I already said no!" Fritz shouted back, shrugging her off. "I just... I can't..." He looked away and bowed his head; ashamed. He didn't want to look her in the eyes anymore as turned around and crossed her arms.

"Really...?

"Really."

"I don't believe you."

Fritz didn't want to argue with her and instead glanced over in Annie's direction. She was standing next to Bertolt, Reiner, and Marco with her back turned. He frowned; she hadn't even turned around to look at him once since he'd arrived with Jayce and Achi. Looking back over at Sasha, he contemplated if he should try to actually help her rally everyone. Then maybe Annie would notice him, but he seriously doubted that given who she was, and abandoned the idea. _No_, he thought, smiling, _I'll help Sasha because she's one of my friends_! _Not because of my own selfish desires_! Reaching forward, he was just about to tap her on the shoulder and tell her he'd help her out with when there was buzzing whispers behind him. Someone else had arrived and he turned around to see who it was, not knowing what to think when he saw the red scarf. _Wasn't she with the rearguard_, he thought, puzzled. _What's she doing here_?

/-.-.-.-\

"Annie!" Mikasa called over as she came near the other girl. "I think I have a grasp of the situation, and I apologize for bringing my personal feelings into this, but have you seen Eren's squad?"

"I didn't see them, but the squads that were able to climb the Wall also..."

"Now that you mention it, Armin over there was from the same squad." Reiner interjected as he rubbed his chin.

Mikasa rushed over to him, intent on speaking with him. "Armin!" she called out and bent forward to get a better look at him. "Armin, are you hurt? Are you alright?" Armin only nodded his head in response and Mikasa glanced around quickly. "Where's Eren?" she asked, turning back to him. There was a startled look on her face as Armin started crying. After a moment, he looked up into her eyes and spoke for the first time since he'd sat there.

"Squad 34: Thomas Wagner, Nack Tias, Millius Zeramuski, Mina Carolina, Eren Yeager... _those five carried out their mission and died bravely in battle_!"

Fritz wasn't sure that he heard that right; Mina? Eren? The rest of them? All dead? _How_? He clenched his teeth in anger and his fists in rage. How?! _Why did more people he cared about have to die_? _And for what_?! "Dammit..." he cursed under his breath as Sasha stood beside him. He thought he'd heard her whisper _"oh no"_, but he wasn't sure, and frankly at the moment, he didn't care. All he cared about was his anger. _Why? Why them_? He remembered Mina's kind face. _Why her_? He searched Annie's face for her reaction. Her eyes were wide and her face was pale for a second, but it quickly vanished, as if it were just a fluke in her expression that needed fine tuning. All around him, the other groups were whispering among themselves.

"So almost everyone in Squad 34 was wiped out..."

"And the same thing will happen to us if we clash with the Titans..."

Everyone was shocked with disbelief. If Eren was gone, what hope did the rest of them have?

Armin tried wiping his eyes but he couldn't stop crying. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry, Mikasa! Eren sacrificed himself... to save me...! I couldn't... I couldn't do _anything_! I'm sorry..."

There was no visible emotion on Mikasa's face as she responded. "Armin. Calm down," she gently grabbed him by his uniform and helped him to his feet. "Stand up. This is no time to be getting sentimental." She patted him on the shoulder and walked over to Marco. "Marco, if we eliminate the Titans that are swarming around HQ, we'll all be able to fill up on gas and scale the Wall. Am I wrong?"

"N-no, you're right, but-" He shook his head. "Even with you there, against that many of them..."

"I can do it."

"Eh...?!"

Mikasa stepped back and raised a coiled blade high above her head and faced everyone. "I'm strong... stronger than all of you. _Extremely_ strong!" her voice was rising, "and that's why... that's why I'll be able to drive the enemy out of there! Even on my own! But I guess all of you are useless, cowardly, and pathetic. It's really too bad, so stay here and suck your thumbs while you watch me!"

"What are you saying Mikasa?! You mean to engage all of those Titans yourself?! It's impossible!"

"If I can't do it, then I'll just die. But, if I win, then I'll live. And if I don't fight, I can't win. I can't _live_."

She ended her speech and shot forward, leaving them all behind as she aimed to engage the Titans by herself.

"Hey!"

"Wait, Mikasa!"

Jean laughed cruelly. "What's too bad is your way with words," he said, getting up and stepping forward. "I'm sure you meant to light a fire under our asses like that. Eren, this is your fault dammit! Hey!" he shouted at the top of his lungs and turned his head. "Were we taught to let one of our own fight alone?! All of you really will make cowards of yourselves!" Jean rushed after her and didn't wait for anyone else. Reiner and his group decided to follow after him while everyone else stood there undecided on what to do next.

Sasha took the initiative to rally everyone, albeit with harsher words.

"H-hey! Cowards! Dummies! Wimps! Idiots! Come on!" and she pushed Fritz forward, much to his chagrin. But the boy sighed and obliged because he wasn't about to do nothing either. As he and Sasha started to follow everyone who had already went ahead, they heard everyone else behind them shout and charge forward too. She gave him a wink. "We did it, Fritz! The rally worked!" The two of them had caught up with Jean and the group that went with him at this point and were quickly depleting the rest of their gas as they tried to reach Headquarters as fast as they could. Jean glanced back and addressed them.

"Anyway, let's make this a short, decisive battle and get to HQ before our gas runs out!"

Connie and Armin were now with them and Connie gasped as he watched Mikasa move.

"She's amazing, how can she move that fast?!"

Armin was watching her as well, but he wasn't awed; he was worried. His fears were confirmed when she expended the last of her gas and crashed onto a rooftop. "Mikasa...!" he veered off and headed in her direction.

"Jean! Take over!" Connie shouted and started to veer off as well. "I'll get Armin!"

"I'm going too! Jean shouted back.

"No, the Titans are still over there! We'll need you!"

Jean ground his teeth and went back into the formation because Connie was right. He led them to a nearby rooftop as they and stopped on its edge, looking down.

Down below, there was Tom on the street who was frantically trying to start his Maneuver Gear again, but to no avail as he was out of gas. Titans were closing in on him quickly and he was starting to panic even more. Two of the group rushed in to assist him as a Titan grabbed him, but they were quickly caught and eaten along with him, their screams filling everyone's ears as their blood sprayed everywhere. He ground his teeth again and decided to make a tough decision. All the Titans in front of them were focusing on eating those three and he couldn't not take the opportunity – there would never be another chance like it!

"Now! Head straight for HQ while the Titans are occupied over there!" he commanded and charged forward again. "It's now or never! Either way, if we run out of gas, it's over, so everyone charge! Full speed!"

/-.-.-.-\

Fritz was right behind Sasha as they all followed after Jean and he didn't look back to see what the Titans had made of the comrades they'd left to die. He already knew. Ahead of him, Jean had been caught in the leg by a Titan but had sliced its finger off to get free and told them to keep going forward as Headquarters was right there in front of them. All around, others were getting caught by Titans and weren't as successful in getting away. Fritz gulped and protected his head as he and Sasha smashed into one of the many windows of Headquarters and landed inside behind Jean and the others. Shards of glass peppered them and scattered all along the floor as they sighed with relief and brushed themselves off. They had made it, but he knew that they still couldn't breathe easy. They all knew that. Jean had crashed landed into a desk and after he'd gotten himself up was peering under it. Fritz could see two startled and scared out of their wits members of the Supply Crew underneath it.

"You're the Supply Crew, right?!" Jean asked quickly, glancing back at everyone present.

"Y-yeah, we are..." one of them shakily squeaked and Jean grabbed him by the collar and pulled him out, then proceeded to punch him across the jaw.

"Jean, stop it!" Marco shouted and subdued him from hurting the other boy any further.

"But it's their fault this happened! They left us in the lurch to die! You hear that?! More people died because of you cowardice bastards!"

The other one held her moaning colleague and looked up at him. "The Titans had invaded the supply point! There was nothing we could do!"

"Doing _something_ about it is your job!"

Behind them, the emergency sirens were still going off and out of the corner of his eyes Fritz saw Reiner glance out one of the broken windows.

"Everyone, get down!" he warned and jumped out of the way of the window. A moment later the wall was smashed to pieces and a giant gaping hole was created in it. Peering through it was a Titan and his inhuman smile cast itself over everyone present.

/-.-.-.-\

Achi had landed inside headquarters right after Krista, but hadn't had time to properly smooth her fall, tumbling across the floor into a pool of blood. Her back had slammed against an overturned desk that some of the members of the Supply Crew had been hiding in and moaned. Her senses were blurry and she was lying on top of something. Something wet and still warm. Feeling around with her hand, she felt hair and bits of tissue, as if their head had exploded all over the place in chunks and pieces. Lifting her hand to look at it, it was bloody and smelled like gunpowder. She sprang up quickly and looked down; a body without part of its skull was lying in a pool of its own blood and there was a spent firearm clutched in one of its hands. She wanted to scream, but bit down on her lip and tried her best to suppress it. She wasn't going to be weak anymore. Instead, she turned her sudden shock in anger and kicked the body, then wiped her hands on its uniform and stomped away from it with a scowl. _She wasn't going to be weak anymore_!

"Krista! Ymir!" she shouted and glanced around for any signs of them, hearing a muffled response close by. She ran toward the source and pulled up an outstretched hand from a mess of broken furniture and scattered papers. Krista was coughing and shaking her head free of dust from her own fall.

"T-thanks, Achi," she sneezed and coughed again.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, where's Ymir?"

"Right here," the tall girl in question answered, standing behind Achi.

Their conversation was cut short by Reiner's shouting and the smashing of the window, where the Titans had decided to break through at. Ymir looked over at the scene and smirked, Achi scowled, and Krista's eyes became wide. Were they all going to die here? Trapped like rats?

/-.-.-.-\

Jayce scrambled out of the way of a flying piece of debris from the smashed window and crawled on his hands and knees to Fritz, who was crouching down beside Sasha and watching Jean approach the gaping hole in the wall. Everyone else was either trying to run away or cowering in fear unable to do anything but wait for their deaths. But Jean, he just went up to the hole as if accepting his fate. Two Titans stared back at him with wide grins and Jayce couldn't peel his eyes away.

Suddenly, the Titans had disappeared and another Titan stood in their place, roaring at the ones it had pushed away. Jayce didn't know what to think and more windows were broken as Mikasa, Connie, and Armin made it inside.

Everyone stared at them in surprise, thinking them to previously be dead, and Jean spoke up.

"Y-you're _alive_!"

Connie ran over to the hole and pointed at the Titan that had gotten rid of the other two. "Guys! That Titan is a fellow Titan killing anomaly, and on top of that, he has no interest in us at all! Mikasa and I eliminated the Titans around it and led it here, where the Titans are swarming! If we play our cards right, we can use it to escape from here!"

There were hushed whispers from everyone else.

"Use a Titan?!"

"He's nuts!"

"Leave it to an idiot to come up with that idea!"

"What do you mean, using it?" Jean asked loudly. "Are you saying that it'll help us...? That's like a dream!"

"It's no dream!" Mikasa interjected. "I don't care if it's a Deviant or what, that Titan is going to continue its rampage here and realistically, that's our best means of survival!"

/-.-.-.-\

Fritz and Sasha were tasked with helping lift the elevator that Armin had requested down to the lower levels were everyone else was waiting and searching for more supplies while the Titan outside kept pummeling its former comrades. The roaring and shaking every other second caused Sasha to jump a bit as she reeled down her lever. Where was the Sasha mere hours ago?

"Hey, go down with the others, they'll need you more than me, we can manage up here." Sasha kept doing her task and didn't look up at him. "Hey..."

"I'm scared..."

"Eh?" Fritz wasn't sure he heard that right as it had barely been a whisper.

"I'm _scared_...!" she said louder and Fritz noticed her hands were shaking. "What if... what if the plan Armin came up with fails?! What then?! I don't want to think about what'll happen then! I'm scared to find out..."

Fritz frowned and let go of his lever, motioning for someone else to take it while he pulled Sasha to the side. "Hey, Armin knows what he's doing! And you're one of the top ten! If anyone has a chance at survival, it's you!" He smiled reassuringly and patted her on the shoulder.

"But-!"

Fritz didn't want to hear her like this and embraced her, rubbing the back of her head to comfort her. "Remember what you said earlier? To me? 'The Fritz I know isn't ever discouraged. He's always cheerful and positive-'"

"Just like me." Sasha finished for him and her shaking started to subside. "I can't lose hope..." she said softly and pulled back to look into his eyes. "I..." she leaned forward slowly.

Fritz couldn't stop himself either. In this moment of weakness for both of them. Sasha was his friend, but as his lips touched hers, could it be possible she could be something _more_? _But no_, he thought quickly, _there's already Annie and-_! Sasha pressed harder as she ventured deeper into her moment of weakness and Fritz could only feel the softness of her lips, his thoughts clouded. Through the softness, there were cracks and dryness, but it didn't register in his brain. All that did, was the kiss. Sasha leaned back and blushed suddenly.

"I..."

Fritz embraced her again. "It's alright..." _No, it wasn't_. "Now, will you go down and meet up with everyone else? Like I said, we'll be fine finishing up here..."

"I... can do that..." Sasha replied and held him tighter. "But I'm not sure if I can stay positive forever..."

Fritz waved her away and watched her start down the steps. _No_, he thought as he watched her look back and smile, _this wasn't __supposed to__... _He smiled back and continued to watch until she went out of view down the winding steps, then sighed and went back to the task of moving the elevator down. _No, this wasn't supposed to happen at all_. He touched his lips and slammed a fist into the lever.

/-.-.-.-\

Jayce hefted the rifle he'd been given by Marco and inspected the firing mechanism. _Firearms_? He glanced over at Jean who also had skepticism on his face. Jean ran his hand along the muzzle of his own firearm and turned to Armin who was crouched next to Mikasa with a map that showed the layout of Headquarters.

"Will buckshot really even do anything...?" he asked. "I mean, using guns against _Titans_?"

Armin looked over at Mikasa then to him. "I think it's a lot better than having nothing, and even with this degree of firepower, it isn't impossible to incapacitate the seven three and five meter Titans occupying the supply room... and all at the same time." He pointed to a section of the map where he'd circled where the elevator would be lowered. "First, we use the lift to lower most of us from the center of the ceiling. If those seven Titans are 'ordinary', a large number of people should be enough to draw them to the center of the room. Next, the people in the lift will fire at the seven Titans' faces simultaneously, thus blinding them, and then..." he paused and looked around. "The next instant will decide everything. Seven people hiding near the ceiling will swoop down in time with the firing and hit the vital points of the Titans. In other words: everything depends on this one attack. All of our lives are at stake. The point is for seven people to kill seven Titans in one stroke and all at once. The seven people with the most athletic ability probably have the best chance of striking home, so they'll do the job." He looked at each of the seven people he had in mind starting with Mikasa, then Jean, Reiner, Bertolt, Annie, Sasha, and lastly, Connie. "But... um... I'm sorry they'll have to bear the burden of everyone's lives on their shoulders..."

"No problem!" Reiner commented and looked over at Bertolt who nodded in agreement.

"The risk's the same no matter who does it." Annie added as glanced over at Fritz, who had just arrived from finishing his task. "If one fails, then everyone dies." Fritz met her eye but quickly looked away to grab a firearm himself.

Marco itched his nose and smiled awkwardly. "B-besides, I think we're all tapped out of ideas. So we just need to throw ourselves into this one, heart and soul!"

Fritz watched Sasha and Annie leave with the rest of them to get ready for their role in the plan and only Sasha looked back and smiled. He hoped she'd be alright and then frowned when she turned around again.

"Annie..." he said under his breath and winced when someone kicked him in the back of the knee.

"Hey, Fritz, don't mess this up," Achi commanded and glared up at him. "I don't want to die because of an idiot like you."

He smirked and saluted as he joined everyone else on the elevator lift. "Don't worry, you can count on me! I won't-"

"Just hurry the hell up and get going already!" Achi interrupted, moving back to where everyone who was tasked with securing the gas canisters once the Titans were gone was positioned.

Fritz continued to watch her until she went out of view as the elevator lift lowered fully and everyone on it got into position. He steeled himself and eased his hands on his firearm as shaking started. _The Titans were coming_. Seven of them, just like Armin had said. Others around him yelped in fear and Marco ordered everyone to calm down and aim for their eyes, telling them to wait until they got close enough. Fritz gripped his firearm tighter as the Titans got closer and closer and the one he was aiming at opened its mouth, seeing the tops and bottoms of its teeth. His muzzle was right up against its eye the moment Marco gave them the go ahead to fire and he quickly pulled down on the trigger. All at once, the Titans reeled back and clawed at their eyes which were no longer there and Fritz smiled in triumph as Annie and the others who were up on the support beams swooped down to deal the killing blows. Five out of the seven of them managed to hit their targets but Sasha and Connie had both missed their marks. Fritz watched as Connie fell on his back and Sasha backed up into a wall. Marco was yelling for the others to assist them before anything happened and Fritz continued to watch with fright as the Sasha frantically dived out of the way of her target's fists and cowered on the ground. At that moment Annie and Mikasa had come to the rescue and finished off the two Titans and Fritz sighed in relief.

Achi hefted the gas canisters she'd been carrying and laid them next to a pile that was already starting and stretched her back. _They'd done it_. She wiped her brow and glanced over at Fritz who was trying to calm Sasha down and scowled. _That dumbass..._

"I surrendered to a Titan!" Sasha exclaimed and shook her head back and forth. "H-how can I look at anyone after...?"

Fritz didn't know what to say as she was ignoring him and held off as Connie came over. "Connie!"

"I'll deal with her Fritz, you get going! We have to get out of here while we got the chance!" he yelled back and grabbed Sasha. "Come on, I'll spit at your feet later! We have to leave now!" Connie nodded over at Fritz and helped Sasha to her feet. The three of them escaped headquarters and headed back to the Wall with everyone else who'd had the same idea.

/-.-.-.-\

Jayce followed after a tall boy with glasses and knocked into him when he'd suddenly stopped on the rooftop they'd been running along. "Hey, don't stop now!" he said and the boy held up his finger and shushed him.

"Look over there!" he exclaimed and adjusted his glasses as he pointed over in the direction of the Titan that had gone against its comrades earlier. It was being taken down. "It's in trouble," the tall boy observed and chuckled, "but look! That won't stop it from fighting!"

Jayce raised an eyebrow and watched the Titan as he broke free of the ones attacking him and destroyed them all. He blinked in disbelief and looked over at the tall boy with glasses again.

"You were right..."

"Of course I was," the other boy said and smirked. "Wha..?" he gasped and pointed at the Titan again. It was steaming as it had lost both its arms and stumbled then finally fell to the ground. "It's been defeated!"

Both of their eyes widened in surprise as they saw it still steaming and a person was visible in the nape of its neck.

"Oh? What's this...?" the tall boy asked, peering closer. Mikasa had jumped down and grabbed the person, hauling him up to a nearby roof where Annie, Reiner, Bertolt, Armin, and Jean had also been watching. Jayce realized who it was the moment she started crying...

"It's _Eren..._" his eyes went wide and the two boys stood there watching the scene.


	10. Reclamation Through Blood And Tears

**Chapter Ten: Reclamation Through Blood And Tears**

"And that's how we managed to get our hands on the gas," Connie finished and twiddled his thumbs, looking down.

/-.-.-.-\

Achi hadn't really been listening to Connie's story like Krista and Ymir, instead choosing to sit down on one of the many steps as they waited now. After they'd successfully cleared Headquarters of Titans and gotten the gas they needed and escaped, they'd been ordered to stay put and do nothing. She sniffed and rubbed her wrists as she leaned back and looked for anyone who'd be most likely to have more information. Spotting Jayce, she motioned him over and asked him if he knew anything since he's the type of guy that would. If nothing else, at least a hunch as to what.

Jayce stared at her for a long time without responding then looked away. "N-no... I don't know anything, sorry..." he mumbled and Achi waved him off again with a scowl and he was happy to leave her presence, wanting to be alone. People wanted to be alone right now, Achi realized this all too well, though raised an eyebrow when she spotted Fritz. Well, at least most of them, anyway. He was trying to talk with Annie but she kept evading his questions and concerns, and eventually he gave up and slumped over in defeat.

"Can you not sit so close to me?" Achi asked, annoyed when Fritz had plopped down lazily next to her. He was looking down at his boots.

"Say... how do you cope with it...?"

Achi stared at him like he was a weirdo. "What?"

"How do you cope with it? Your pain?" he asked slowly.

Achi blinked and sighed after a moment, then looked over at Annie. "I just... keep it to myself..." she replied and put her foot on Fritz's shoulder, proceeding to scoot him away forcibly. "And didn't I say not to sit so close to me?!"

/-.-.-.-\

Eren. _A Titan_. He couldn't believe it; he didn't want to believe it. Glancing around and stumbling as he walked, he knew nobody else but the people who'd been there in the moment he'd came out had seen him, and they'd all been ordered to not talk about. To keep their lips shut, eyes closed, eyes blank. Tell nothing. Reveal nothing. Keep nothing. They'd taken Eren away over the Wall along with Mikasa and Armin and everyone else was to remain on the other side for future orders. Looking up at the Wall, Jayce only wondered what was going on, on the other side.

"They're going to execute him," someone said close by.

Standing to the side of the street was the tall boy he'd been with earlier, but Jayce didn't want to acknowledge him. He was too wrapped up in his own mind to care. The tall boy cleared his throat and stepped forward, offering his hand.

"Thord Lundqvist. And you are?"  
"J-Jayce Mundis..." he replied and halfheartedly shook the tall boy's hand, going back to staring up at the Wall. The tall boy followed his gaze and whistled.

"Never expected that to happen." he said.

"Yeah..."

/-.-.-.-\

Cannon fire was heard on the other side of the Wall and a few of the trainees went up to the roofs to get a better look but all they could see was smoke. When it cleared, the skeletal remains of a Titan became visible and inside it were three figures. The only ones it could have been were Eren, Armin, and Mikasa. After gasps of silence and a long wait, the leader in charge threatened them which prompted Armin to come out and salute. He explained his own thoughts and that of the others, but the leader wasn't listening and about to order them to be executed on the spot when Dot Pixis, the Commander of the Garrison, approached and stayed his hand. His authority overrode everyone present and he told all troops to organize in front of the Wall as he went with Eren and the rest to discuss more about what Armin had thought so strongly about.

/-.-.-.-\

Everyone was clumped together and the smell of sweat and fear was all around as they waited for Dot Pixis to finish his talk with Eren atop the Wall. Most of the troops waiting were reluctant to stay, and there was hushed whispered among the ranks of deserting before they were sent out again. Surely, the Commander was to order them to retake Trost, but the Titans' numbers were overwhelmingly larger than their own and nobody wanted to die an early death after they'd just survived the first battle. They didn't want to have to endure a second one. Dot Pixis appeared on the Wall and called down for his council to work out a strategy for the retaking of Trost and the complaints in the crowd became louder.

"A plan to take back Trost?!"

"You gotta be kidding! We don't even have the technology to seal that hole!"

"It's a death sentence!"

"We'll just die defending Wall Rose!"

"This is mass suicide, do the commanders want glory and recognition that badly?!"

In front of Jayce, Dazz was shaking and whispering to himself. He was about to snap any moment, and Jayce bit his upper lip, trying not to think about it. He wasn't going to snap himself, even after what he'd seen. What would his family think if he quit now? If he just left it all and went back with nothing to show for his efforts? His pride? Dazz's shaking was getting worse...

"B-b-back... to that... hell...?" the frightened boy said to himself. "I don't want to go back! No! No! _No_! I don't want to die!" he screamed and shook his head, causing more panic in everyone else. "Let me go see my family!"

"Dazz! Keep it down!" Marco whispered next to him and one of the commanding officers stomped over with a grave look of disgust on his face.

"You there, I heard that!" he yelled fiercely and loomed over the frightened boy. "Do you intend to abandon your duty, soldier?!"

"Yes, I do!"

"What about humanity, boy?! What about your discipline?! I have the authority to execute you where you stand and I know your family wouldn't want that!" The officer moved a hand to one of his blades as a warning.

"Do it, go ahead! It's a hundred times better than being eaten by a Titan! My family would understand!"

With his outbursts, everyone around was getting more and more disillusioned with the situation and started getting more vocal. Jayce did his best to block it all out.

/-.-.-.-\

"Do it!" the man beside Fritz whispered to the girl that had talked about causing a scene herself. He glared at them, as did Jean who was behind the girl. _This isn't the time_! _We can retake it if we just have hope, _Fritz thought as he watched her recoil with wide eyes from the man. _Cowards_!

"I-I was only joking!" the girl exclaimed and held up her hands. "I'm not actually g-going to-"

"Make a big scene with as many people as possible!"

"Eh?! But-!"

"A lot of us in the Garrison aren't happy with the way things are run! We can take advantage of the chaos and get out of here!"

"Get out of here and go where?" Jean asked as the girl backed up into him. She moved over on the other side of Fritz to get away from the man.

"I'm going to see my daughter because whether we're here or not, the gate is comin' down!"

Fritz scowled as the girl touched his shoulder and cowered behind him. He looked down at her and she removed her hand and looked away; embarrassed.

"S-s-sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"Were you really kidding about what you'd said?"

The girl stared up at him with wide eyes and shook her head. "Y-yeah! I-"

"So you want to take it back?"

"S-sorry, I didn't mean to offend anyone with-! I was-! It was in the spur of the moment! I panicked-"

"I meant Trost. Do you want to take Trost back?"

"Yes! I do! I really do!"

Fritz smile sadly and glanced over at the man she'd shrunk away from. _Hope..._

/-.-.-.-\

"Attention!" Dot Pixis boomed from atop the Wall along with Eren. Everyone went silent. "I will now explain our strategy to recapture Trost District! The goal of the operation will be to plug the hole in the broken gate! We have a way to seal the hole, but first I want to introduce you to Eren Yaeger, of the Training Corps! We've been conducting top secret experiments on Titan transformation, and this soldier is our first success! He is able to purify the body of a Titan and control it at will!"

"What?!" Connie hit Achi's shoulder as he turned to ask Ymir about what the Commander had just said. "Hey... I must've misheard the Commander just now or am I just an idiot?!"

_It's obvious to everyone what you are_, Achi wanted to say.

"Well?!"

"Keep your mouth shut for a minute, idiot..." Ymir responded.

"He will turn into a Titan, pick up the boulder near the gate, carry it over, and use it to block the hole! Soldiers, your task is to protect him from the other Titans while he's carrying the rock!"

"I-I... don't..." Sasha whispered to herself next to Achi and the younger girl sighed. _The second idiot_.

"If you chicken out now, what'll Fritz think of you _then_?" she asked without looking at her and Sasha didn't respond, but she also didn't move from her spot in line either.

/-.-.-.-\

"You expect me to give up my life for some nonsense like that?!" Dazz shouted as tears streamed down his eyes like mini waterfalls. "What do you take us for?! We're not _disposable blades_ that you can just carelessly throw away!"

The officer who'd threatened him earlier reached after Dazz as he started to split from his position. "Deserters will be killed!"

"They expect us to stay here and die?! Count me out!" The man that wanted to start a ruckus said and stormed off along with others of the same mind. The leader who'd dealt with Eren, Armin, and Mikasa from earlier took out his coiled blades.

"I hope you're prepared to die, traitors! Right now, I'll cut you down before you take another step!"

"Upon my order! Anyone who leaves right now will go unpunished! If you have given in to your fear of the Titans, you will never be able to stand against them again! Anyone who has succumbed to the terror of the Titans should leave here and... anyone who wants their parents, siblings, and loved ones to feel that same terror for themselves should leave as well!" The people who were leaving and thinking of leaving stopped and turned around or stayed where they were. The Commander's words had that strong of an effect; they held that much truth. "Let's talk about what happened four years ago; about the operation to retake Wall Maria! I don't think I need to remind any of you of it, 'Operation To Reclaim'. Sounds good, doesn't it? Really, it was just a way for an overburdened government to reduce the number of unemployed they had to feed! What no one dares to say is that we have been able to survive within the Walls' narrow confines thanks to your brothers and sisters in arms who were forced to go outside! That sin, belongs to all of humanity! The residents of Wall Maria were a minority, so open war never broke out, but what about next time?!" The Commander raised his voice even higher. "If _this_ Wall is breached, it won't be nearly enough to sacrifice twenty percent of the population! Behind our final barrier, Wall Sina, we could only afford to feed half of the world's surviving populace! If humanity dies out, it won't be because the Titans devoured us, it will be because we annihilated _each other_! We cannot afford to die inside another Wall. So I ask, given the choice, I want the all of you to die here! Right where you're standing if need be!"

/-.-.-.-\

The Commander had the troops lure the Titans away from Eren's team by gathering near the corners of Wall Rose and holding them there just long enough for his team to get to the boulder. Fritz was on the task of moving the Titans by acting as bait for the troops on the Walls to then move in and keep them cornered. Groups of three, only move by running along the ground, don't engage unless your life is in immediate danger, lead them to the corners, and repeat the process. It sounded simple enough in his mind and he looked at the two in his group: the girl he'd talked to earlier, who's name was Eletta Hombeck and Krista Lenz. They were on one of the many roofs in the town, a few Titans were nearby. Krista was appointed leader of the group and they waited for her to give the go ahead.

"Wait until they get a little closer..." she said and then looked down at the street below. "Fritz, do you think you can follow us from down there? That way, we can make sure they're following us?" she asked.

Fritz nodded and followed her orders. Eletta waved down at him.

"G-good luck!" she called down and glanced over at the Titans, who had now taken notice of them.

She and Krista started off at a dead run along the roof and Fritz followed their general direction. Turning a corner, he slid in a splatter of blood and quickly regained his balance because if he lost any speed he'd be as good as dead. Looking behind, the Titans were right there and he increased his pace as he saw his two group members maneuvering to another rooftop. After more running, they'd made it to the corner and split off to let others handle the rest as they went back out again.

When they'd rounded up their second batch of Titans, a red flare could be seen in the air and the three of them stopped. Eletta pointed at it as it disappeared.

"Does that mean they didn't plug the hole?!" she asked and looked to the other two for any answers, but they didn't have any either.

"Keep luring the Titans," Krista ordered and Fritz nodded in agreement.

"If they failed, then we can at least deal with the Titans so this wasn't all for nothing!"

By time their third Titan had been rounded up, a green flare went up and everyone stopped to gaze up at it. A tear fell down Fritz's cheek as he watched along with Krista and Eletta on the Wall as they rested. He couldn't hide his smile. Trost had been retaken...

But, he also couldn't hide his sorrow...

Trost had been retaken, but at what _cost_?

/-.-.-.-\

It has been one day since Trost had been retaken. The Scouting Legion had come to the rescue and helped to drive back the Titans and the day after had been focused on eliminating the remaining Titans so the area was safe. Countless rounds of cannon fire and dulled blades had been used to accomplish this. Two Titans had been captured alive in the end. Now, the second day was for clearing debris and recovering the bodies of any casualties whether they be civilian or soldier. Identifying them took top priority and survivors went through each and every scrap of bone. Each and every bloodstain.

Fritz and Jayce looked down upon the body of Kalia Bendlin which was still sitting peacefully under the windowsill they'd left her against. The blood on and around her body had completely dried, as one would expect, and her skin was pale in color from all the blood loss. Bloating had set in slightly, most noticeably on her broken arm and the body smelled putrid. There were no flies. Fritz stepped forward and touched her shoulder.

"I'm back, Kalia." he said and Jayce moved to her other shoulder and together the two of them lifted her up. Her body was stiff from a cold night but the muscles were relaxed and it was easy for them to carry her. Achi moved out of the way of the door as they exited the house and followed behind the two of them as they continued to carry her body. She looked at Kalia's brown hair which wasn't curly anymore, being damp and loose, hanging down from her face. She thought of Kazue – they weren't able to get his body as it was inside a Titan. The Titan was probably dead by now and the contents of its stomach taken out and examined, but what did it matter if they couldn't recover his body? By now, his body had dissolved and at the most was a mummified skeleton.

They went past others gathering the dead and identifying bodies, aiming to take her to the center of Trost, so she could be burned into ashes along with all the other corpses. It was the least they could do for her. All corpses had to be burned to prevent the spread of disease and there was no way around it. As they passed more dead and living alike, the dead were the overwhelming majority. Further along, around a bend, were Reiner, Bertolt, and Annie. Helping to clean up the dead as well. Fritz stopped moving to watch as Annie stood over a corpse and whispered to it repeatedly, but couldn't make out the words. Reiner then came by and said something to her as he passed, moving on with Bertolt to the next area. Letting go of Kalia, he made sure she was safely placed on the group and then went over to where Annie was standing. As he got closer, he could make out the words she was still repeating: _I'm sorry_.

"I'm going to go and help around some more," Jayce said and looked at Achi, who was staring at Fritz slowly approaching Annie. "Can you take care of Kalia for me?"

Achi nodded as Jayce went in the opposite direction and she could hear his footsteps until they went around the bend again and faded away. She watched as Fritz embraced Annie and she didn't resist, saw him glance at the dead body Annie had been whispering to, and Fritz embracing her tighter. A man with a clipboard, writing utensil, and mask covering the lower half of his face came beside her and looked at the scene for a second then down at Kalia's body.

"Do you know her name?" he asked bluntly.

"Kalia Bendlin, leader of Squad 83, veteran member of the Garrison." she replied quietly without peeling her eyes away from Annie and Fritz. She inclined her head at the headless corpse next to them. "Mina Carolina, member of Squad 34, 104th Trainee Corps..."

/-.-.-.-\

The next day, the trainees were tasked with helping serve food and clean parts of the town after all the corpses had been burned the night before in massive firepits. Bonfires of ash and bone. Char. Fritz watched Annie as she grudgingly used a ladle to stir a pot of soup and finished washing the dish he'd been absentmindedly cleaning spotless and walked over to her. He watched as the swirls in the soup broke apart and then reformed lazily.

"Is there a reason you're looking over my shoulder?" Annie asked and stopped stirring.

"I just wanted to talk..."

Annie's hand tightened on the handle of the ladle and she looked deeper into pot of soup. "I..."

"Mina-"

"I failed. I promised her that I'd-" She started to twist the metal of the handle and bend it forward. "Dammit..."

"Her death wasn't your fault, just like Kalia's death wasn't mine. The two of them wouldn't have wanted us to think they were! They-!"

"Just get back to cleaning dishes." she said bluntly, not saying another word. Fritz took that as a cue to leave her alone and went back to his area. Waiting there was Sasha, who was staring at the recently washed plates he'd set out earlier.

"I stayed positive..." she said tearfully and Fritz smiled sadly as she laughed and wiped her eyes. "As best I could..." Sasha hugged him and let what she'd been holding in all this time to spill out onto his apron. Fritz glanced over at Annie then went back comforting Sasha.

"That's... the Sasha I know..." he reassured and smiled, rubbing her hair. "Always cheerful, always positive."

"Just like me." She smiled back as she blushed, abruptly letting go of him and fidgeting. "I-I-I-! Thanks for the s-support! I feel a lot better now!" she exclaimed and clenched a fist in the air, still blushing. "I'm on snack duty, so I'll see you around!" she waved and went back to her own area, keeping the smile until out of view. Fritz waved back and the moment she was gone frowned, looking over at Annie. Then, his gaze went to the clouds and he could only think of one thing: _his sister_. Where was she now? What was she doing? Did she know of Kalia's death? He had so many questions to ask her...


	11. Horses, Roses, And Wings

**Chapter Eleven: Horses, Roses, And Wings**

"The Garrison," Achi stated as she crossed her arms and leaned against a pillar in Trost's courtyard.

She and the other surviving trainees were gathered in a large circle to discuss what branch they'd be joining now after the tragic events that befell Trost. Immediately following Achi was Hannah, who, after the death of Franz, was unresponsive to the point where she was considered mute, her gaze blank. Eletta tried getting her to speak up, but Achi bet that Hannah wasn't even in the present anymore.

"She's not going to open up just because you're being friendly." Achi shrugged and felt as if Hannah was staring beyond the two of them, thus she decided not to waste her time anymore. Straigtening, she stretched.

"H-hey! Where're you going?!" Eletta reached out to grab the end of her uniform.

"Away from here."

"W-wait for me!"

Fritz watched Achi walk away with Eletta following and scratched his head. His assumption had been wrong. Now, he wondered if everyone else was going to join the Garrison. He didn't blame them after what happened. Images of Kalia were still fresh in his mind and he wanted to keep them alive. The only way was to find his sister and tell her of Kalia's death, if she didn't already know. Looking around the courtyard, his hometown had been finally cleared; now, it was the sixth day since then. In that time, Eren had been taken in for questioning by the Military Police and put under the watch of the Scouting Legion, and later today, the trainees were required to pick what branch of the military they wanted to be a part of. Fritz hoped that more than a handful would still be joining the Scouting Legion – if only it was just a hope and not a reality. Doing nothing, the trainees just waited around for that time to come and-

"Every trainee present! Come to the meeting hall immediately!" a soldier cried loudly in front of the door to said meeting hall. He was holding a piece of paper, urgently reading. "We have reason to believe that there is a traitor in the military, so we have to do a thorough investigation and that means ___nobody _is exempt! File in, on the double!"

There were hushed whispers from all the trainees. They didn't move until the soldier threatened them. The inside of the meeting hall was large, as one would expect, with long tables in rows all along the room. Behind each table was a member of the Military Police, each holding a stern expression, as the soldier from before was now issuing more instructions.

"You are to gather your 3D Maneuver Gear and place it on one of the tables in the room. Only three may be permitted to a table. Once you are situated, we will give you a paper where you are to write your name and other personal information. Once that is complete, you will wait until a member of the Military Police evaluates that you are clear of any traitorous actions. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir!"

Fritz went to the nearest table, quickly took off his Gear and placed it on the table. ___A traitor? One of the trainees? _he thought as he was given a piece of paper. ___Here?_

"Earlier today, someone killed the two Titans we had painstakingly managed to capture after the retaking of Trost, and, as such, we will be thorough in weeding them out. We will now begin the evaluation of your Gear."

/-.-.-.-\

In the end, none of the trainees were found guilty of any treason and they were released hours later. Now, all of them waited around near the stage where they'd line up to choose their selected branch of the military. Though, after the recent events, nobody was all that excited. Not after Trost; not after being suspected of being traitors. There were doubts in everyone's minds.

Gathered in a mass with other trainees, Achi scowled at Eletta who was still following her.

"Why are you still here?"

"I-I think you're cool! So..."

"You're stalking me?" Achi ask as she reeled back into another trainee, who voiced his annoyance. Achi ignored him and lowered her voice. "Why are you following me, then?"

"I'm-! I'm not trying to stalk you!" Eletta protested, shaking her head. "I think you're really cool and I want to be friends!"

Achi's fist dropped.

"___Huh_?"

"I want to be friends!" Eletta repeated and grasped Achi's small hands in her own. "What do you say?!"

"No." The shorter girl tore away with contempt. "Why would I want to be your friend?"

Eletta looked around nervously, as if she didn't know the answer herself.

"Ummm... Oh! I'm a good listener! Anything you want to tell me, you can!"

"How about '___go away_?'"

Eletta frowned and looked down at her boots. "But..." Achi sighed – she didn't want to deal with this girl right now!

"Look, if you don't run your mouth all the time, then you can stick with me. Got it?" ___What the hell am I doing?!_

"Uh-huh!"

"Trainees! Fall in, face front!" a voice roared over everyone else from the stage. Their selections were about to begin. A tall man with neatly parted hair stood with his arms clasped behind his back and cast his gaze over everyone present. On his shoulder was the distinguishable emblem of the Scouting Legion: blue and white wings.

"I am the Scouting Legion Commander, Erwin Smith. The King has granted me authority over all Scouting Legion activities. Today, you are to choose which division to join. The reason I'm here is to invite you to become a part of the Scouting Legion. In the recent Titan attack, everyone here experienced what the average excursion outside is like. I'm sure nothing else in your lives came close to it. Though you're trainees, you've experienced sacrifice. As a result, I'm sure you came to know your own limits and the terror of the Titans." A few of the trainees focused their eyes on everywhere but the stage, the rest not peeling their eyes away for even a second. "Nevertheless, while it's true we suffered heavy losses in this attack, the human race has advanced towards victory like never before. By now, everyone is aware of the existence of Eren Yaeger."

Next to Fritz, someone with a deep voice grunted in amusement and he glanced over. To his surprise, it was a girl. A little shorter than him, she had a whimsical grin on her face that made her ear length brown hair almost menacing, the bangs nearly covering her sharp eyes adding to the look. Was she... ___laughing_?

"Through his actions and all of yours, the Titan incursion was halted and we have obtained a path to understanding the true nature of the Titans. I'm not at liberty to tell you much here regarding Eren, but believe me when I say that he's proven himself as an ally who's willing to lay his life on the line. And, we also know that in the basement of his old house in Shiganshina District, there are answers about the Titans that even he doesn't have."

The trainees listened to the Commander talk about the survival rate of the Scouting Legion and his plans to retake Wall Maria despite them, because by his estimate, they had a chance if Eren was with them. After Wall Maria was taken, they'd secure a path to the basement of Eren's home, and thus, try to learn more about the Titans. He didn't sugar coat his words once in his speech, and by the end of it nobody moved. Dismissing the ones who'd rather join the other two branches, he patiently waited for everyone to leave to see who was left. Only twenty one trainees stayed.

Fritz looked around; almost everyone he spotted he knew, most he didn't expect. He didn't think Krista would be up to joining the Legion, in fact she was crying, that is until Ymir told her to shut up. Sasha was also present, but she looked shaken and unsure of herself. The same went for Connie. He hoped they'd be alright later on. Others present included: Armin, Mikasa, Reiner, Jean, Bertolt, Thord, Jayce, and the girl that had been laughing earlier. No sign of Eletta, Achi or Annie. This was it; just the twenty one trainees present.

Now, they were the newest members of the Scouting Legion. Fritz tried peering out of the corner of his eye to catch any glimpse of Annie, who was walking away without looking back. He still had so much he wanted to say to her, but as Commander Erwin continued talking, the only thing that truly mattered was listening to his words, so Fritz kept his salute firm for the rest of the speech.

/-.-.-.-\

"Did you hear?" Petra asked, quietly, as she approached Ines in the dark, her best friend staring out into the gloom of Trost. She frowned, worried, and put a hand on her shoulder gently. "It's about Kalia, she-"

"I've already received the news." Ines cut in, "A few days ago."

"Do you think she... that she went out the way she wanted to?"

Ines's gaze shifted from the dark to a small glow from a newly emerged flower, white in color. "Yes, I do." She turned to Petra and, her expression unchanging, nodded at the worn out Garrison patch Petra had under her Legion one.

Clutching it and smiling, Petra said: "A memento, something to remember her by. Say, do you remember the promise the three of us made? About the flowers?"

"Of course I do, but what of it?"

"Do you think she knew, that we still collected them years after?"

"I am still collecting them, Petra," Ines replied, turning back around. "And I'll never stop. Flowers for the living, flowers for the dead, it makes no difference. I keep my promises, no matter what happens."

"That's what I thought you'd say, and I, too, am keeping that promise we made," she tapped the worn out patch, "through the patches. For the living, for the dead."

The rest of the night went by in silence as they both watched the flower bloom, their trio now reduced to a duo, the precious memories of their best friend never forgotten from that day since.


	12. The 57th Expedition

**Chapter Twelve: The 57th Expedition**

Friedrich looked down at the reins of his saddle. Most of the past month since they'd been admitted into the Scouting Legion had been learning how to ride a horse, and the whole thing had made him uncomfortable. He twisted in the saddle, but saw no familiar faces except the girl who'd been laughing and unintentionally made eye contact. Hunching down, she smirked and waved nonchalantly.

Ahead, the gate that led out to Wall Maria stood and he looked up its length. The Shield of Maria stared back down at him and he was filled with excitement mixed with dread. _What was beyond those Walls_? _Ines..._

His sister hadn't been with the Scouting Legion in the past month when he'd asked around, the only response he'd gotten was she was "on a special mission" and couldn't be reached as she was in Titan controlled territory with her team. Remembering the conversation, he frowned, halting in front of a wagon. The wagons the Scouting Legion used were for transporting extra supplies and ordinance in case something went wrong, as they usually did on the expeditions. Luckily, since Erwin had become the Commander of the Scouting Legion, the disaster rate had decreased significantly by Legion standards. The other thing they had to learn in the past month was the "Long Distance Enemy Scouting Formation". They had kept it relatively simple in explanation, and he'd been grateful for that.

The soldiers would be evenly spread out over a long distance with a semicircular formation taking the front. He and the other new recruits were positioned between the wagons and the support teams, where they'd be in charge of communications and keeping an eye on the spare horses that the Legion would also bring along. Selectively bred, the horses of the Scouting Legion were the only means of travel and escape on open ground from the Titans. Since they also weren't an interest to the Titans, this made them extremely valuable and keeping them on hand was a top priority, if a seemingly minor one compared to others.

The formation is comprised of different columns which all have different focuses such as command, support, and communications. Generally, the soldiers in the first column are the first to come into contact with any Titans, and the procedure when that happened was also simple. If a Titan is spotted, you shoot off a red colored signal flare. When someone else sees the flare, they are to do the same and fire off a red one of their own, and so on. Once the Commander sees the signal, he'll fire off a green colored flare in the direction he wants the formation to go to next. Just to make sure everyone knows which was the formation will turn, everyone is supposed to shoot off a green flare in the same direction. This is to limit casualties and evade anymore potential Titans. Though, it only works on Ordinary variants, not the Deviants. When faced with a Deviant, you fire a black colored signal flare and engage it immediately.

Fritz was in the Third Column, the Fourth section, which was communications just like the Third. He didn't have to watch a spare horse, which meant he had to keep everyone informed and alert on the situation. Looking down at his supply of signal flares and the firearm itself, he wondered if he was up to the task. He at least owed that to Mina, Kalia, and the others who died during Trost – his resolve. He wouldn't lose it now. Above, atop the Wall, someone called down to the Commander that the gate was about to open.

"This is it!" someone shouted in front of him. "Now the human race takes another step forward! Show me what you've learned! Open the gate!"

As if on cue, Commander Erwin then spoke up, raising a coiled blade high into the air. "Launch the 57th Expedition outside the Wall! Advance!"

At his command, everyone charged forward into the outside world where the Titans were waiting. Immediately surrounding them was an abandoned town, deserted five years ago during the first breach. Fritz glanced around as they zipped past houses and down now crumbling paved street of the town, looking for any signs of danger and thinking of the people who'd once lived here. Where were they now? He didn't have any time to dwell on it as there were shouts of a ten meter class Titan approaching the line ahead, and he looked to see it get swarmed by the Support Team, having no time to focus on any other details as the Commander's voice rang in his ears.

"Advance! Advance! Keep advancing!"

Fritz hunkered down and increased his speed to keep pace and they cleared the town shortly after, the terrain becoming open and vast. It would have been a beautiful sight any other day, any other time, but they were moving so fast that everything came as a blur of greens and browns. The paved street had turned into a dirt path trampled by countless horses when the Commander shouted for them to begin the Long Distance Enemy Scouting Formation.

Fritz's section split off to the right, between the center and the outermost column, in a loose line. Next to him, the girl from before had rode up beside him holding a spare horse by its reins and looked at him with a bored expression.

"You want to haul this?" she asked as she offered him the reins. He shook his head and she smirked again. "Suit yourself kid."

Fritz was too focused on watching for any Titans to pay anymore attention to her and kept riding. In the distance, there looked to be a dark shape and he squinted against the sun. It was moving very fast and he wondered what it could be...

/-.-.-.-\

Jayce pulled the horse he was holding closer to his own and looked over at Lund, who was staring off into the distance. The two of them were nearest the First Column on the far right and they hadn't encountered any signs of Titans thus far, which to him was a relief. He followed Lund's gaze but his eyesight under the sun was hazy and he couldn't make any definitive shapes out.

"What do you see?" he asked the tall boy, putting a hand over his brow to block out any glare. "Is it a Titan?"

"Something... fast..." Lund replied, pointing in the direction of a dust cloud. "Over there, coming from where the Scouting section was positioned..."

Jayce followed his finger and after a moment could make the dust cloud, as well as something _more_. Inside the dust cloud, which was moving faster than anything he'd ever seen before, was a figure, standing about fourteen meters in height. His eyes widened with the sudden realization.

"Lund! Get a green flare ready!"

"Already on it, but," he covered an ear and shot off the flare, the smoke coming off as black instead of green, "look at the way its moving, it's not an 'Ordinary'! It's a 'Deviant'!"

"How can you tell?!"  
"Ordinaries don't move that fast with that good of coordination!"

The Deviant Titan was getting closer and closer with each stride it took. Lund adjusted his glasses as the ground starting to shake, thinking fast.

"Jayce! Take the other horse and move further into the Column!" he ordered and grabbed Jayce's reins to spin him forcibly around.

"What? But-!"

"Go!"

Lund slapped Jayce's horse as hard as he could and it shot off in the direction he'd wanted it to go and watched Jayce's troubled face as he glanced back. Lund pointed at the Deviant and turned towards the dust cloud which was almost upon him now. He pushed off his horse to catch the Deviant on the shoulder with his wires, to no avail. The Titan grabbed his wire and slammed him into the ground with enough force to break more than every bone in his body.

"Lund!" Jayce shouted at the top of his lungs as he saw the other boy go down and cursed. _Lund knew what was going to happen and spared him from death_! He had to keep moving further into the First Column. He bend down in his saddle and increased his pace, a tear forming at the corner of his eye that was quickly swept away by the wind.

/-.-.-.-\

Fritz saw that the dark shape was coming closer and was caught gawking at its speed.

"Hey, kid, if you have any flares, use them," the girl from before said behind him. "That isn't an ordinary Titan," she remarked and shook her head when she saw him pull out a green colored flare.

"How do you...?"

"Does it matter? Look at the way its moving, it should be obvious that it isn't normal..."

Fritz didn't need to be told twice and switched out the green for a black and lifted the firearm above his head.

"Cover you ears!" The girl just laughed and he shot it off, watching as it went high into the air. "Should we attack it?" he asked as he looked back at her.

The girl raised an eyebrow and inclined her head over at the dark shape, which was quickly becoming the form of a slender looking Titan.

"If you want to die earlier, go right ahead." She let go of her spare horse and kicked it in the direction of the Titan. The two of them watched as it was crushed underfoot. "There's nothing stopping you." She grinned at the face he shot back at her. "Aw, did I hit a nerve?"

"Fuck you! That horse was valuable!" he shouted and looked beyond her at the Titan again. Though, something was odd about it, he thought. It had the physique of a female, which he'd never heard of before, and his eyes went from her skinless stomach to her chest. No, her breasts... _Wait, what_? _Her breasts..._?

"It's a female Titan," the girl said nonchalantly, picking something out of her teeth. She raised another eyebrow at his confused expression. "What? You think I wouldn't know another female when I see one?"

"No, it's just..."

"You staring at her boobs, eh?"

"Wha-! W-What?! No! I'm-!"

"Staring at her boobs."

Fritz cursed and jabbed a finger at her. "I am _not_ staring!" Though as he said it he was blushing hard.

The girl rolled her eyes. "Sure..." Looking back at the Titan, she smirked for a third time and pointed over her shoulder in the opposite direction. "Just between you and me, I don't want to be its next flattening iron, so..."

"You want to run away?"

"Tactical _retreat_."

Fritz filled with rage and moved past her towards the Female-Type Titan. "Then I'll deal with it myself!"

"Suit yourself," she called from farther away than he'd remembered. He clenched his teeth and keep going forward. It didn't matter anymore, the only thing that did was stopping this Titan!

Coming closer to it on the side, he stood up in his saddle and balanced in the spurs so he didn't fall back and break his neck. Glaring up at the Female-Type Titan, he took out his blades. With a cry, he shot forward on his wires, aiming to catch it from around the side and at the nape of the neck. Before he even started swinging around, it covered its vital point and shifted its gaze to look at him. His momentum stopped as soon as this happened and his wires went limp. Sailing over the Titan's shoulder, he was about to plummet to a bloody death when he felt a hard jerk that suspended him in mid air. _The Titan had caught his wire_! Panicking, he twisted up to cut his wire free; he'd gladly fall and break a few bones if it meant living! As his blade just reached the steel of wire, he felt something beneath his feet. _The ground_? He looked down, but it wasn't grass. He was standing on the Titan's outstretched hand! Without thinking, he slashed at the skinless hand and the Titan's hand coiled around him in response. It was going to crush him to death! Struggling to get free, he frantically tried to move his arms as the Titan brought him level with its own eyes. Closing his eyes, he didn't want to think what was about to happen next...

Nothing happened.

Confused, he peeked slowly. It was just staring intensely at him. It blinked and he blinked back.

"Let me go, you bastard!" he shouted as he wiggled. The sound of its jaws opening turned his skin white as it... _smiled_? Looking into its eyes again, he copied the girl from earlier and raised an eyebrow. It had piercing blue eyes. Something was _familiar_ about them... "A-Annie...?" he guessed in a quiet voice. The Female-Type Titan's smile faded and she relaxed the grip she had on his body. "Annie? Is that _you_?" he asked as he managed to get his arms up to rest on the tops of the Titan's gigantic fingers. He grimaced and scowled at the Titan. "You must think I'm a real dumbass, huh?! Well," he flipped her off again, "fuck you too!"

The Female-Type Titan scowled back and let out an unintelligible sound from its throat, before slamming him to the ground and continuing on her way. As he started to loss consciousness, he watched as the Titan took a glance back before increasing her speed further into the column. He heard horse hooves and the sound of someone approaching as his vision finally went dark...

/-.-.-.-\

"Hey, you awake?"

The girl from earlier nudged Fritz in the shoulder as she slumped in her saddle. She'd sat him behind so he didn't get trampled just lying out in the open unconscious. He swayed slightly and mumbled something as she went to nudge him again. "Heeeey kid..."

Fritz could feel something hitting the side of his rips and he snapped his eyes open, leaning back on the saddle he'd been placed on. Falling to the ground with a dry thud, he rubbed his back and looked up at the laughing girl atop her horse.

"About time," she said. She sniffed and rubbed her nose. "So, you didn't die..."

"No thanks to you!" Fritz retorted and sprang to his feet, jabbing a finger at her. "I could have been in serious trouble!"

"You _were_ in serious trouble." She ignored him and pointed in the direction she'd seen the Female-Type Titan run off to, towards the Center Column. "And serious trouble just went that way."

"We have to follow it!" Fritz stumbled in a hurry to get moving. He winced at a sudden pain in his right side. He touched the area and could feel cracked ribs.

"You fell pretty hard, if I was you, I'd take it easy and-"

"No! We can't just let that Titan run around like it pleases! We have to stop it," he glanced down at his side, "and I have to make sure of something.". Looking up to the girl with pleading eyes, he held his hand out. "Please, we have to go!"

The girl stared down at his hand for a moment, mulling it over. She crossed her arms and bent to take his hand. As he swung over the back of the saddle, she leaned forward. "Hold on, kid, it's going to be a bumpy ride!" she exclaimed and kicked the sides of her horse, the two of them moving to catch up with the Female-Type Titan.

As Fritz held on to the ends of the saddle so as not to fall off again, he contemplated what had happened back then. He'd engaged the Titan, one he'd never seen before. _It hadn't attacked him_. _Why_? _Why didn't it just kill me_, he thought, _why aren't I dead right now_? He remembered its piercing blue eyes. _There's no way it could be..._ The shoulder length blonde hair, the shape of the nose. _Annie..._ The way it moved, the way it had reacted to him. The way it smiled at him. _So, then, why am I..._? He looked down at his side which he was still clutching. _Annie..._

/-.-.-.-\

Jayce was panting heavily by the time he reached another soul further into the formation, and with his luck, it was Connie Springer. He rode up beside the shaved headed boy, who was startled to see him so far away from his own Column.

"J-Jayce?!" he exclaimed with wide eyes. Immediately, he had an idea of what the other boy wanted to tell him and his features hardened. "What happened?"

Jayce pointed a shaking finger behind himself. "A T-Titan! A Deviant broke through the ranks! Lund and I, we couldn't stop it in time! It was moving to fast... he... _he_..." he hastily tried to explain, but couldn't get the rest out. It was all too soon, he thought, for Thord to have died like that. So suddenly, like a fly swatted by a feline. A pesky insect that was insignificant to the world at large.

Connie's face contorted with anger and he slammed a fist down. "Dammit! Why do more people have to die?!" he shouted and cursed to himself with his head lowered into his saddle. Looking back up at Jayce, he reached over and grabbed the other boy by his uniform, swaying as his horse tried to close the gap. "Tell me _everything_!"

/-.-.-.-\

The girl and Fritz were now hot on the tail of Female-Type Titan, the dust it was kicking up obscuring their vision. Though they were a distance away, it still limited their vision enough to only being able to see no more than fifty feet in front. Coughing, the girl cursed and swung her reins to the left. "Hold on! I'm going to get us out of this dust cloud!" she yelled as she glanced back at Fritz, who's eyes were watering as he covered his mouth. Expertly, she maneuvered just on the edge of the cloud where the dust was the thinnest and their view became clearer almost immediately. She glanced up at the Female-Type Titan and scowled.

Fritz leaned around and stared at the girl's hands; they were cut deeply from how tightly she was grasping her reins. At that moment he couldn't help but feel useless, all he could do was look down at the ground. Since they'd caught up to the Female-Type Titan, they'd passed by the remains of other soldiers that had also tried to get in her way. Most were dead, their bodies bloody messes in the grass that stained spots of crimson into a sea of green. Intestines, parts of arms, legs, bone. Tons of carnage that had been spread in this monster's wake and he clenched his teeth even harder than before. _There's no way! There's no way it can be Annie_!

Just then, a scream up ahead, another soldier was crushed flat against the palm of her hand, his blood raining down on them like crimson droplets. Another soldier had charged the Female-Type in revenge from his fellow's death and quickly met the same fate, screaming for mercy as she slammed him into the ground by his wire, his body becoming just another spot of crimson in a sea of greens.

The two of them ducked as she lifted her leg out and swiped away a line of soldiers on horseback, horses and riders alike crumbling to the ground in bloody broken heaps. Death stared back at them as they passed and the girl cursed again.

"She's really going all out, isn't she?!" she laughed cruelly and whistled at the carnage. All of the blood. All of the dead. All of the broken. At all of the sorrow.

Fritz glared at her but didn't say anything, as the Female-Type Titan kicked another soldier on horseback like a child's ball, watching it fly away and land with a wet thud some distance away. Behind her foot was yet another soldier on horseback, who thought he'd stop her by slicing the tendons in her ankles. As his blade cut at the skinless flesh, the skin suddenly hardened, his blade shattered, the steel pieces cutting into his face. He yelped and went to clutch the gashes when the Female-Type Titan stopped for a split second to ram her leg into him, kicking out backwards. She hadn't even turned around, and the soldier didn't have time to react as he was lifted off his horse, dying without a last breath.

Something was familiar to Fritz about the way she swiped her legs, the style of her kicks, but he didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to confirm what he already knew deep down. Yes, the only one with that type of combat style, those type of martial arts skills, was Annie Leonhart. The only one and yet...

He didn't want to believe it. Even as the horse the soldier had been riding crashed into them and they all tumbled to the ground together.

_"__It doesn't matter. None of this matter__s," she'd said. "__Tell me, how do you want to die tomorrow?" __she'd ask__ed__, hostile, but not really serious. Playful in her own way. "Hey, what makes a person ____good__?" she had asked softly. "Is it the heart that beats within their chest, unclogged and untarnished, or, is it the brain that resides inside their head, ever thinking and always working?" _He hadn't understood fully_. "That hurt. To think you'd not hesitant to harm someone weaker than yourself." _What she had meant_. "My father." T_o him, then_. "Does it matter if I meant it or not? What I said was the truth, and that's all that matters." _No, nothing matters. Everything matters_. "Unlike you or Eren, ____I'm __not in a hurry to go and die. Deep down, I'm not as strong as the two of you are." she'd sa__id__, her voice quiet and far away. "I'm just a weak little girl who can't tough it out like guys such as yourself." _Liar_. "I'm ____not __a coward." _Liar_. __"I'm ____not __running away." _Liar_! __"__I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" she'd plead__ed__. __"I failed. I promised her that I'd- __Dammit!" she'd curse__d__. _Her promise broken. Yet another that was_. "I'm sorry..." __Annie..._

High up in the air, an emergency flare was seen and the girl shot off one of the boy's in response. She'd had to take it off him since he was knocked out again, lying sprawled on top of her now dead horse. She'd managed to free herself from under the dead soldier's equally dead horse, pushing its carcass off her without much effort. Looking down him, she sniffed and sat down.

"Just my luck," she said to herself and watched as green signal flares filled the sky, telling the formation to go west, not south like had been planned. Taking out a green flare from the boy's pack, she followed procedure and shot it off, watching it soar high into the sky and dip westward, the trail of smoke dissipating shortly after. There was the sound of horse hooves approaching swiftly, what seemed to be four of them, and she glanced over at two familiar soldiers she'd seen many times during training, waving them over.

"You're late, you know!" she called and glanced down at the boy, then at the two spare horses the two soldiers had brought with them. _Do I have to wake you up again_? She groaned and kicked him, hard enough in the side so she didn't have to do it a second time. His eyes opened almost immediately as he coughed up blood, which also caked the side of his head from the fall he'd taken. She hadn't bothered to deal with that, yet, and she wasn't going to. Helping him to his feet, she pointed over at the two approaching riders.

"We're in luck, kid," she said as the Ymir and Bertolt stopped just in front of them.

"Did you guys see the flares?" Bertolt asked quickly, handing the girl the reins of his spare horse. "The formation's moving west now."

"He's not dead, is he?" Ymir interjected, inclining her head at Fritz who looked dazed and wobbly on his feet. "Can we leave him?"

"No, he's fine. Give me the other horse," the girl commanded and took the reins from Ymir, who was glad to give them up. Less work for her; no complaints there. The girl handed Fritz the reins and got on the horse Bertolt had given her.

Fritz clutched the reins tightly between his fingers and glared up at her. Rage and passion filled his green eyes. He wanted an explanation. He wanted answers. He wanted to see Annie.

The four of them saddled on their horses and went westward, towards their new destination: a forest.

Bertolt scanned ahead and frowned. "A forest...?"

"What else could it be?" Ymir retorted rudely.

"The way to our deaths?" The girl answered.

"The path to unanswered questions," Fritz said, his eyes focused on the trees, "in a forest of giant trees..."


	13. The Female-Type Titan

**Chapter Thirteen: The Female-Type Titan**

Forests of giant trees are scattered inside and outside the Walls alike, though are scarce. Trees of massive size, thousands upon hundreds of them grow wildly here and there, and nobody knows why. Nobody knows the reason that the trees grow to such lengths, though some have placed blame on the soil. That the soil is so rich the trees just can't get enough, their roots reaching down deep in the earth and tangling around, the saplings growing until full size. _Gigantic_. Before Wall Maria had fallen, some sites where the trees were prominent were used as attractions for travelers and passerbys. Though, now that it has fallen, Titans have overrun most of them and they've become unmaintained fortresses with unruly paths and overgrown vegetation. Some of the pathways are clear thanks in part to the Titans, who constantly roam through them and trample everything flat. The Scouting Legion also uses these giant forests to their advantage during expeditions, as the Titans are too simple minded to climb trees.

Fritz looked up at the trees that loomed over his head and those of the others, awed at how small he was compared to most of them. The formation had been dissolved in favor of sheltering inside the forest, where the Central Column had went further in. To ensure that the wagons weren't swarmed by any approaching Titans, Commander Erwin had what remained of the right and left flanks to stand high atop the branches of the trees to distract any dangers that may arise.

Command had built a base of operations near its edge but still far enough so they wouldn't be exposed and Fritz looked down, but couldn't see anything but lower branches and Titans. He and everyone else who wasn't permitted any further into the forest were on guard duty: they were to not let the Titans get any further than the forest's edge. Watching as a seven meter class clawed at the bark down below, trying to get to the man farther up, he wondered what Annie was up to. If she was that Titan, then that meant she'd be the same as Eren, right? Scratching his head, looking down at one of the blades in his hands, he continued to absentmindedly watch the Titan. If Annie was like Eren, then that meant she was a human experiment as well, didn't it?

"Don't fall off," the girl he'd been with since they'd left Karanese said. She was sitting on a branch opposite of his with her knees dangling over its edge, looking extremely bored. "It's a long way down." Holding a hand out flat, she pointed at her palm and then squished the finger, using a _splat_ soundeffect. Rubbing her hands together, she yawned and leaned back. "If I knew this is what'd we'd be doing, I'd have rather been squashed by her."

"Really?" Fritz asked, not believing that a person would favor being killed over another chance at living.

"Really. One dumbass coming your way," she said and nodded downward. What looked to be a five meter class came up to his tree and started trying to grab at him, obviously unable to reach. The girl sighed, fanning herself. "Bunch of dumbasses, these lot. For once, I'd like to see one with at least a tiny ounce of a brain."

Fritz didn't listen to her ramble on about wanting to see one of them figure out how to climb and continued to think about Annie. The appearance of the Female-Type. It was definitely her, there was no doubt in his mind. _But why..._?

Explosions and other large sounds were now coming from deeper in the forest. Nobody was moving a muscle, even as the Titans below continued in their clumsy attempts to climb.

"Noisy..." Ymir stated and turned to Bertolt. "Say, Bertolt, you see Krista around anywhere?" she asked, scanning the branches for the smaller girl.

Bertolt shook his head. "No, I have no idea where she could be."

_Useless_. Ymir clicked her tongue and turned to Fritz instead. "What about you, Fritz?"

"No, I haven't." He was too busy wondering about Annie to really care anyway, that was until he noticed what she'd just said. "Wait, did you just call me by name?" he asked, dumbstruck.

"Heh? Yeah, I did..." Ymir replied slowly.

"Aren't you going to ask me?" the girl said, lying on her back without a care in the world now. "I might know where she is. Maybe..."

"Do you?"

The girl waved a hand around. "She's probably on one of these branches," the girl responded.

Ymir scowled. "Thanks _smartass_."

At that moment, an inhuman roar echoed throughout the area and drowned out everything else. Again, nobody moved.

"What the hell was that?!" someone shouted. All the Titans had stopped clawing and climbing. Then, they all rushed into the forest, ignoring the guard completely.

"Why the hell are they ignoring us all of a sudden?!" Connie yelled, looking down at the mass of them all moving in one direction. "Every last one of them is a Deviant!? What's up with that?!"

"Who cares! Don't let them get through! Everyone, engage! _Engage_!"

At the ranking soldier's command, they rushed down to get as many of them as they could. Slashing at the napes of necks and immobilizing others, no matter how many there were, there were just _too_ many. Most of the Titans broke through and the tide was seemingly endless. After awhile, the ranking soldier ordered everyone to seize the attack and go back on their perches. It was hopeless, so why waste their time doing it? High up in the air, a signal flare was seen clearly by all: the retreat signal.

"Finally! We can go back!" Connie exclaimed.

Everyone let out long held sighs of relief and were starting back to mount their horses that were tethered a fair distance away when another roar, a series of them, was heard. Their intensity was so much that everyone again stopped in their tracks to look deeper into the forest.

Fritz held onto the side of a tree, digging his nails into the bark. _Annie, is that-?!_

_ "__Eren__?!"_ Mikasa shouted and went deeper into the forest at an incredible speed, obviously coming to some realization herself. Sasha was yelling after her but she wasn't stopping.

_Mikasa's figured something out_, he thought and glanced around quickly. People were either trying faster to get out of the forest or caught up watching the vapor trail that Mikasa had now left behind. Taking one look back the way they had came in, where their horses were waiting, he shook his head and turned to where Mikasa had went instead. With a slight hesitation, he followed Mikasa's quickly evaporating trail, ignoring Sasha's cries also. Zipping past trees and swinging on branches via his wires, he still couldn't help but think of nothing but Annie. What happened? Was she alright? Who was she really? What was her story? He had to find out.

/-.-.-.-\

She had to move, she had to break free. Eren was on top of her, his hands steaming as they rapidly regenerated from trying to bash her face in earlier. Even in Titan form, she could see that he was filled with bloodlust, filled with a deep rage. A pause. Eren wasn't moving now. Not caring what happened, she was only focused on one thought. She could hear his voice, his will.

_ I'll devour you! I'll rip you to shreds. I'll kill you_!

With a speed unmatched, she grabbed his forearm and twisted her legs around and upwards to kick him off, but at that moment he regained his focus and tried punching at her, his hands now fully regenerated. Blocking him with a shoulder, she grasped the joint of his other arm and held him there, then reached up, clawing into his jaw. She just had to...

He roared as she fully twisted her body and kicked him with full force, watching as he collided with a tree to slid down its length. Hastily, she stumbled to get to her feet. _She had to get away_. She made the mistake of looking back. His fist was right under her jaw, an uppercut, and she just barely evaded the heavy blow; fist scraping her cheek as she rolled free. With a large outstretched hand she quickly sprang back and her equally large eyes widened with surprise. _He was already going for another strike_! Holding up a hand to intercept, she fell back, making eye contact. All she saw was the bloodlust. All she saw was the rage.

Moving, she avoided his strike and all the others he tried throwing at her thereafter, barely missing some of them. One had caught her off guard and she had to duck suddenly, to which he took the opportunity to strike directly at her face. Again, she barely avoided the blow, skidding a safe distance backwards. A safe enough distance for a counter. As Eren leaped to close the small gap, a fist raised to yet again strike, she hardened the skinless flesh of her hand, curling it into a tight fist. As soon as he swung and she ducked out of the way, she slammed the fist up into his jaw; obliterating it. The jaw ripped freely off his mouth and before she could even catch a glimpse of her handiwork, he made eye contact again. _All that bloodlust and rage_...

He slammed a fist into her gut and lifted her off her feet, her body sailing high into the air and slamming hard against a tree. Dazed, she could hear him roar in triumph and again had to move out of his way, his knee snapping the tree where she'd just been a split second before. Stumbling away, she felt pathetic. That someone in a rush to die was overpowering her in a fight. Yet, she knew that it was an inevitability. Fritz flashed through her mind and her eyes hardened. Determination seeped in. Turning around slowly, she looked into Eren's half mangled face and slowly approached. She had to see Fritz again. _She had to get away_. With blinding speed, she swiped her leg high and split Eren's head horizontally above the nostrils, her kick so powerful that the tree next to him also split it half. Watching with contempt at what was left of the head as it rolled away, his rage defeated, she put a hand on his neck and expanded the muscles in her jaw, bending down for the nape of his neck...

/-.-.-.-\

"Eren!" Mikasa yelled frantically, as she watched in disbelief as the Female-Type Titan devoured him. The Female-Type Titan stood up and wiped her mouth, then turned on her heel and started off. "_W-_" Mikasa didn't want to feel in that moment; she _knew_ what to feel. _Loss. Rage. Sorrow. Bloodlust_. "Wait! Eren... Eren... don't go!" Her hand tightened on the handle of her coiled blade. _She was going to kill that bitch_!

Mikasa caught up to the Female-Type Titan and immediately sliced at her shoulders, creating deep gashes. The Titan was guarding the nape of her neck, only focusing on running. Mikasa now slashed her legs to slow her down by cutting the tendons. It didn't work and the Titan tried grabbing for her once it she realized what the enraged girl was doing. Mikasa evaded the swipe and went along her arm, only to be shaken off and slamming into a tree. She maneuvered out of the way as the Female-Type Titan smashed her fist into the tree and kept running. Increasing her speed, Mikasa wasn't about to let her get away! She spun and finally hit the Titan's tendons, its blood spraying all over her face as she reeled back to lean on a tree via her 3D Maneuver Gear to wait as the Female-Type fell to her knees, at which point Mikasa took the opportunity to cut at her again, this time aiming for the nape of neck. Though, as soon as her blades made contact with the Titan's fingers, they shattered and she was forced to retreat again.

_Why can't I cut through_?! she thought and scowled at the Titan, who was now rising to her feet. _I have to..._! "I know he's alive! I know it for sure! Eren is _alive_!" Pulling out her spare blades, steam billowed off her forehead and cheeks, evaporating into the air. "No matter where she goes, I'll kill her... I'll cut her open, gut her like an animal, and get you out of that vile place!" She shot forward to attack again. "So wait for me, just wait for me a little longer!" The Titan's fist suddenly struck out and she barely avoided getting flattened again, the Titan using the second of opportunity to sprint away. Mikasa leaned on another tree and clutched the handles of her blades hard enough to cause marks. "Wait for me!"

/-.-.-.-\

He could see her. Lying against a branch. "Annie!" he came closer and planted his feet on the side of the tree via his 3D Manuever Gear, looking down at her. "Annie! Can you hear me?!"

Annie's eyes fluttered slowly, but she didn't look up. Moving her arm a little, she clutched the fabric of her uniform. There was a tear in her eye and her skin was faintly steaming.

_How long has she been out here like this_?! he wondered, moving to touch her.

"I wouldn't, she's still healing," someone said behind him. He knew that voice...

Standing on a branch with her arms crossed, was that girl. He gave her a quizzical look and went to reach for Annie's arm once again, ignoring her warning. It didn't matter what she was doing here, all he cared about was Annie. He went from the side of the tree to the branch and knelt in front of her, looking down upon her face. The tears were still there. Most of them had dried. He went to touch her cheek and-

_Pain_. Twisting pain. His arm was pulled back and he couldn't move it. Someone had a firm, very strong, grip on his forearm. "Wha-?" he turned and met the girl's eyes. She was now behind him on the same branch along with Annie.

"I told you not to _touch her yet_." the girl repeated, her expression cloudy. Nodding towards Annie, she let go of Fritz and scratched her head, looking around. "This place is really messed up," she observed.

Fritz now took the time to look at his surroundings and noticed that, yes, it was. The area was in ruins. Broken trees and upturned soil everywhere. Blood. _What the hell had happened here_?!

"Don't give me that look, I know as much as you do. The name's Eliza by the way."

"Friedrich, but you can call me Fritz," he replied, looking back to Annie. "How long will it take for her to heal?"

"A couple of days, at the most."

Subscription set in. "How do you know about that?"

"Know what?"

"How did you know Annie was a Titan?! How do you know she's trying to heal her wounds?"

"Is this the part where I tell you my life story, or does that come later?" Eliza replied jokingly, her eyes flashing with a mischievous glare.

Fritz raised an eyebrow. "Nevermind... forget I said anything," he sighed and stood up. "I have to get her out of here."

"Well don't look at me," the girl said, raising her hands.

"Then why are you even here if not to help out?!"

"I was bored." She shrugged and Fritz gave her a questionable look. This time _she_ raised an eyebrow. "_What_? I can't be bored? Uhh..." she pointed at Annie, "She's awake..."

Fritz got a fistful of surprise and yelped, clutching a bloody nose. "Ow! What the fuck!?"

"Fuck... you... too..." Annie croaked slowly, panting. The one punch had exhausted her already. "What... are you doing here, Fritz...?"

"Oh, is this a lovers quarrel?" Eliza interjected.

"And who are you...?"

"That doesn't matter right now!" Fritz exclaimed, grasping her shoulders. "What happened here?!"

"I... failed..." She looked down sadly at her hands. "I'm..." Her eyes widened as Fritz embraced her.

"You're not a failure! Don't say that!"

Annie shakily, reluctantly, embraced him back. _Fritz... _"Remember when you said '_treat the whole world as you__r__ enemy_' along with me? Are you... still willing to take that oath?"

Fritz looked into her eyes and smiled. "Yeah, I am. You can _count_ on it..."

Annie smiled sadly back and used him as a support to stand up. She grimaced, her wounds still healing. Very slowly.

"We need to get you out of here," he said and Eliza clapped her hands together.

"I'll lead the way!" she exclaimed and pointed to the right. "This is the way we came, so that's the way we'll go!"

/-.-.-.-\

Achi watched the stars as they appeared in the night sky, leaning against her position on the Wall. Guard duty, it was a boring job, but at least she was defending her home. She wouldn't let another Wall fall under her watch, never again. She didn't want others to die for her, either. Even if she didn't want to admit these things herself.

"You think they're alright?" Eletta asked next to her.

"Don't know," Annie replied. She caught a glimpse of movement down by the gate, recognizing two of the three forms: one a stupid bastard and the other a betrayer. Scowling, motioning Eletta closer, she told the other girl to watch the post while she went down to see what was up.

The three of them had arrived on horseback, two riding on horse together, and Achi put her hands on her hips as the gate closed behind them. The one in front she didn't recognize, a girl with a bored expression on her face, but she immediately noticed that idiot's dumb face and, even though the other's face was obscured by a hood, the piercing blue eyes she knew all too well. She motioned the other guards to let them pass and walked with them for a ways, then paused as they stopped at the next gate. As the four of them were led through she pulled them aside; away from prying eyes and eavesdroppers. The girl she didn't recognize sniffed and looked down at her briefly, then turned in the saddle.

"Who's the midget?" she asked and Achi filled with fury.

"I'm not a midget! What the hell are you three doing here?! The Legion already came through, so why are you just now coming through?! Answer me!"

"We were sightseeing," the girl replied, smirking. Achi forced them to dismount and stared between them.

"I said: _answer_ me." She looked over at the hooded figure and couldn't contain the rage she felt buried deep in her heart and lunged forward, grabbing her by the collar. "Annie, what are _you_ doing here?" Annie didn't respond. Neither did the other two. She couldn't take it anymore, removing the hood and revealing her blonde hair which was no longer in a bun. Her friend's eyes looked distant and Achi pulled her down and punched her. Annie didn't fight back.

"Achi! That's enough!" Fritz exclaimed, getting between the two of them. "This isn't the time for explanations! Let us pass to the Stohess District and we'll tell you everything there!"

Achi glared at him. "I can't get you all the way there, only a person authorized by the Military Police can get you past the inner checkpoints." She turned her glare towards Annie. "Like _her_."

"Then, can you get us as far as you can?"

"Fritz... just what the hell is going on...?"

"He said he'd explain later," the girl interrupted.

"I didn't ask _you_."

"Eliza."

"What?"

"The name is Eliza."

"Does it look like I give a shit? Fritz, tell me now or I won't go any further!"  
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you..."

Achi weighed her options after a moment of thinking. "If I... get you to the inner checkpoints... will you take me along...?" she glanced over at Annie then went back to Fritz, "I want you to tell me _everything_."

/-.-.-.-\

"Captain, we can't stay here much longer..." Alger said, peering out into the gloom between the trees.

Zena chimed in from atop a high tree branch. "Alger's right, Captain, the Titans are swarming all over this area. It's only a matter of time before-!"

"I know that," Captain Ines held up a hand, silencing her. "Riecka, collect the others' badges, I'll get this one's. The rest of you: Alger, Zena, Larrens – watch the perimeter for any Titans. If any of them get close, deal with them swiftly."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Ines knelt down in front of the tree which was smeared down the middle with dried blood. Staring back at her were dead eyes that she knew well. Dead eyes that had once belonged to one of her dearest best friends, and now, she was the last of them still alive. Smiling, she hoped that Kalia and Petra had went out the way they wanted to, living the lives they chose. She couldn't shed any tears, it wasn't the time.

Parting her best friend's hair, warm brownish orange hair that looked so beautiful even in death, she felt a fourth hole open up in her heart. Underneath Petra's hand was a flower, soaked in her blood. Ines plucked it and took out her book, the one she kept her promises in. Opening to a new page, she carefully placed the flower and closed the book. Taking a long look at her best friend's corpse, she took the badge from her shoulder, the Wings of Freedom that she'd been so proud of, and placed them in her pocket along with Kalia's Bear necklace she'd managed to salvage, as well as her Garrison badge. Tokens of remembrance for the fallen.

"We're moving on," Ines commanded as she stood up swiftly and motioned for her squad to gather round. "We still have to check for more signs. This isn't the time to be slacking off."

"Right!"

Even as she said the words, she couldn't help but glance back down at her best would learn more about these Titans Shifters, no matter what...


	14. Leonhart's Gamble

**Chapter Fourteen: Leonhart's Gamble**

_"Just let me ask you one thing," he said, head bowed and hands on my shoulders, "I want you to treat the whole world, this cruel world, as your enemy."_

What makes a person "good"? Is it the heart that beats within their chest, unclogged and untarnished, or, is it the brain that resides inside their head, ever thinking and always working?

_ "Even if... even if the whole world will curse and resent you, remember that your father will always, always, always, be on your side."_

These giants called Titans, why does one consider them "bad"? Is it that they oppose humanity, consuming flesh and bone mindlessly, without purpose, or, is it because one has become so blurred in their hatred, that all they can see is a threat to their existence?

_ "So please, promise me you'll come back."_

/-.-.-.-\

Walking down the steps, Annie could see the other fresh recruits lined before her on the floor below, at attention, like good little soldiers, ready to serve their king. Though, as she silently looked them over, were any of them really "good"?

"Oh, you're finally up..." the girl on the far end yawned, glancing up. Lazy and rude, Annie recalled her name being Hitch. She decided to not respond, instead taking position next to her. The girl continued to talk: "Sorry, Annie, didn't want to wake you cause' your sleeping face is real scary."

"You've been slacking off too much lately," the boy next to Hitch said. From his voice, Annie could tell that it was Marlo. He reminded her of Marco, in his noble intent with duty and service. She didn't respond to him either.

"Hey?" Hitch was still talking, and she leaned in close, bending down to look up into Annie's face. She ignored her, the best option that so far was working for her. "Heeeyy?" she smiled, a mocking smile that Annie resented. "You aren't mad' at me, are you?"

"What an unsociable person," Marlo commented, the tone in his voice irritated Annie as much as Hitch's face made her want to punch it.

"Leave her alone," someone else interjected, but at that point she was already blocking them out. "She came back alive from _that_ Trost District, after all."

She remembered Trost, the chaos that ensued. She remembered her squad, which she had left to die, and the ones she killed; the ones she resolved were "bad", disguising themselves as "good". It had been... _enjoyable_, ripping their throats apart and slashing their stomachs open. Watching the blood spill forth, as the Titans came to finish them off. She didn't bother fighting the Titans that were busy eating her team, her supposed friends, as she resolved to retreat, intermingling with another team in the process. Connie Springer, she saw him in the fighting, and Armin; Mikasa, Ymir, Sasha, Jean, Krista, and many others. She'd seen Fritz, wanted to reach out to him, but couldn't. Didn't at the time. _Why? Why hadn't she_? Her mind went briefly back to scenes of the battle: people being killed and people doing the killing; she had killed her fair share as well. That had been... _enjoyable_ too, killing them; all of them, she resolved, were "bad". None amongst those she killed had been "good". As she listened to the recruit, she wondered, was he "good", or was he "bad". She deeply hated that side of her, the side she couldn't control. It was painful. Though, despite how many "bad" people there were in the world, she knew a few that never would be in her mind: _Mina, Fritz, even Achi..._

"She's the only one at our station who's had actual combat experience," he continued, keeping his voice level, "so there's no way she's recovered from that horror yet. She saw only hell recently, so don't give her anymore. Ok?"

She had her answer with that: he was "bad", and in that sense, normal. Normal like her, scum, like all of them present. Though, there were people outside this realm of "normal", as she now decided to label it, that held interest to her. People with a firm sense of righteousness, the "good" people, they intrigued her, and it was... _enjoyable_, learning more about them. Just as enjoyable as killing the scum of the world; a cruel world full of "normal" people like herself.

"Scum." she said under her breath, as the commander entered to brief them on their mission for the day. Fritz was scum, she was scum, they were all pieces of shit floating around in a cesspool. _Yet..._

/-.-.-.-\

The morning air, it was fresh and full. That was the first thing she felt as she walked outside with the rest of the recruits, in single file. _Fritz would have liked it out here,_ she thought. She stood straight as they went along, listening to the sound of her boots on the stone steps of the Wall.

"What the heck does he think he's doing?!" Marlo complained, pacing around, hands on his hips. "Passing the whole mission onto new recruits not even a month in the force and not even bothering to give any instructions!"

"Yeah, the senior staff of this organization are rotten' beyond imagination," Hitch answered, then sighed as she leaned against a wall. "That was the reason why I chose to join it in the first' place..." she continued, proceeding to kick an empty bucket, that bounced off an adjacent wall. "But, they're dumping' their work onto us new recruits, and as long as you're still a newbie, you'll get more than your fair share, huh..." she stared at the bucket, "I didn't take that into account."

"Worthless trash!" she heard Marlo grumble. "Scum who can only think about themselves!"

"Marlo, you wanna say you're any different?" another voice chimed in, joining the discussion. It was the boy who had spoken up on her behalf earlier. "You're the same as them, since you chose to join the Military Police and all."

She heard Marlo growl at his comment, raising his voice. "I am different! Don't lump me together with scum like you!"

_ Scum. _There was that word, scum. Annie turned to look at him now, intrigued by what he had to say. Would she need to reevaluate him?

Marlo still had his hands on his hips as he continued to talk: "I joined the Military Police to uphold justice and to do what's right!" he exclaimed, which prompted a laugh from Hitch.

"_Eh?_ Wow, Marlo! So you're actually one of those righteous guys, huh?"

_ Righteous. _There was that other word.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" the other boy asked, stepping forward.

"I need to stand at the top for that, and till I climb up there I'll do what I'm ordered to, even if it means I'll have to become scum in the process." Marlo explained, clenching his hand into a fist. "But, once I'm at the top, I'll make them all earn their keep, and I'll make sure to repay them all in full for pilfering taxes and misappropriating the land."

His reasons, they intrigued her somewhat now. "Does that mean you or your relatives have been put through the things you mentioned?" she interjected, her mind putting together what she was going to say based on his response.

He was quiet for a moment as he thought up his response. "No, but..."

She stared at him with unfeeling blue eyes, as her opinion slowly shifted back to her earlier evaluation of him as "normal", and therefore, scum. Just like them all.

"Everybody knows those talks about their evil doings are true," he finally said, raising his hands in emphasis. "Anyway, I won't go as far as have them die for their sins, but I'll make them taste humiliation one way or another. I'll change those mindless animals crapping everywhere they go irrespectively of time and place." He clenched his open palm back into a fist, becoming more animated with his words. "Back into normal human beings, that's all I want. To return them to what humans are supposed to be originally."

_ Normal._ There it is. That word. Annie closed her eyes as she gathered her response into words to tell, as Hitch fell to the floor in laughter at his words.

"Oh boy!" she cried, slapping her hand on the stone steps and clutching her stomach. "You're the real' deal! Here I thought you were just another' boring dude! I gotta apologize' for that!"

Yes, Annie thought, she would have to agree to a certain extent. But that was where she drew the line, and she gathered the remainder of her thoughts as the other boy responded.

"That's a grand and high goal you have there, good luck achieving it," he said, smiling faintly.

This is it, this is where she would jump in. "You're wrong," she stepped forward, fixing Marlo with her unfeeling eyes as everyone stared at her as if noticing her presence for the first time. "If a 'good' guy like you manages to talk the helm, that's what'll be our true undoing."

"Huh...? I thought you didn't talk?" Marlo replied, glancing in her direction like everyone else. "If you have something to say, let's hear you say it."

She waited a moment before explaining herself; her thoughts. "I think that you're a 'righteous' person who says 'righteous' things." she shifted on her feet, as she looked past him at a memory. "Such people do exist, and I'm well aware of that." It was a memory of a fight between Eren and Jean three years ago, when they had first started their training. "Going against the tide requires extraordinary courage, and I respect that, even if it's probably nothing but foolishness. What is clear, is that such people are a rarity," she resolved, thinking of Armin now. "They're not common, and they're not what you call 'normal'. People like you are called _'special'_. On the other hand, how people like us should be called, the people who put their personal gain over others, if those around them act unjustly, they just go with the flow," she looked towards the ground for a moment. "You called those people scum, trash, and evil; _worthless._ Among the trainees I knew, the majority were this same kind of scum and 'bad' people, aiming to join the Military Police."

"You sure love beating around the bush, huh?" Marlo commented. "So then, what's your point? You want to say that people like you aren't bad people?"

"No. I, too, think those people like me are scum and are, most definitely, 'bad' people," she looked up at him, "I can't consider them righteous at all, and that," she skipped a beat, "is what _'normal'_ people are, don't you think?" He didn't respond. In fact, nobody did, they were all silent as they listened to her go on. She continued: "You're saying that innately all people are _'good'_ persons, and that if they were to just assume their nature, their organization wouldn't be so rotten, correct?" she glanced up at the sky, as if searching for something in the clouds above. "But in my opinion, the structure of this organization, the way it's set up is what provides insight into what true human nature really is: that everyone is scum until proven otherwise. So, even if I'm a weakling who drifts with the steam, I'm still one of those 'normal' people you're talking about. That's all I have to say..."

"All, huh...?" Hitch's voice trailed off, sitting on her knees. She exhaled loudly, lying down on the stone steps of the Wall. "That sure was one long winded speech," she exhausted, "I mean, I'm already spent here just listening to it – bored to _tears._"

Annie didn't listen to the rest of the discussion, instead going back to her earlier issue of recalling the memory, and yet, she still couldn't do it. Suddenly, Marlo sprang into action, saying that they were just wasting time sitting here, and decided to move out, motioning for everyone else to follow him. As they left to begin their mission, Annie heard someone whisper her name. It came from the right; a voice that she could immediately recognize anywhere. _Armin Arlert. _She stopped in her tracks, turning sharply on her heel to join him in the shadow of one of the buildings. He was wearing a cloak, or perhaps some type of raincoat, as she approached and instinctively put up her guard, as much as she hated to around him. "_Armin..._" she called out with surprise as she came level with him; face to face.

"Hey Annie, you're really a full fledged member of the Military Police now, aren't you," he greeted, his voice calm and equally suspicious. As she looked into his eyes, she saw his true intent almost immediately.

She was sad, _disappointed,_ but she decided to play along, despite being hurt. "_What's_... what's going on...?" she feigned surprise, as she pointed at his outfit. "What's with that getup?"

"Oh this?" he replied, looking down at himself. "I'm posing as a porter," he opened up his outfit, to reveal what was hidden underneath. "This raincoat is very handy for hiding 3D Gear. See?"

"Armin... what happened?"

At this, he removed his hood and took a step forward, a look of desperation on his face. Again, she instinctively put up her guard, raising it higher. "_Annie..._" he started, "I wonder if you could..." He looked away, at the wall to the left of them, then back to her. "I was wondering if you could help Eren escape."

_Ah, I see now_, she resolved, not letting her disappointment show. Though, she knew, deep down, that this would be the outcome eventually. Even so, she didn't meet his eyes, instead averting her gaze to the spot where he had looked seconds before. "Escape..._huh?" _She looked back at him, her unfeeling eyes showing a hint of her true emotions, for perhaps, the first time her sixteen years of living in this world. _This cruel, __unfair, and lonely __world._

/-.-.-.-\

_"The plan's simple," Eliza drew a circle in the dirt. She, Annie, Fritz, and Achi were all behind a house in the Stohess District. "This," she drew a few crude houses and a wagon next to them, "is where they've have Eren come in, but I doubt he'll be inside."_

_ "So you're saying it's a trap?" Achi asked, pointing at another section that the other girl also drew; one stick figure. "And this is where he'll actually be, right?"_

_ "Right."_

_ "He'll probably have others with him," Achi noted and thought for a second. "But who would they...?"_

_ "Armin and Mikasa." Fritz said without hesitation and Annie nodded in agreement. "If anyone's with him, it'll be those two..."_

/-.-.-.-\

As Annie stared into Armin's eyes now, she noticed their determined yet pleading look; it made them somewhat beautiful in the shadow of the building, and she concentrated on them as she responded: "To where? Is there really a place inside the Walls where someone who disobeyed the King's order can escape to?"

"He'll only hide for the time being," Armin started, taking a step forward, "and it's not like we're planning to disobey the King. Although I understand that it may appear like an act of treason by some members of the Scouting Legion." He clenched his outstretched hands into fists. "But we're just trying to buy some time to collect materials that would change the opinion of the Commission of Inquiry. I swear!"

Annie spread her footing out a bit more. "Materials that would change their opinion?" she said out loud, clenching her hand into a fist. "Is there really something that influential? What do you base your claim on?"

Armin stood there for a moment, thinking of what to say, then lowered his head and stared at the stone ground. "Sorry, I can't tell you..."

With his hesitation, Annie perked up in alarm, indicated only by a shifting of her feet closer together. She studied him for a second, staring into his eyes. So that's how it is, she thought, closing her eyes before responding:

"Then, I'm sorry too..." she softly whispered, then raising her voice a little, "but this isn't going anywhere like this." She turned on her heel to leave, her guard still up as she slowly started back. "I won't tell anyone about this, so good luck trying your best on your own," she hollowly said over her shoulder, hoping that he would stop trying to coax her.

"Annie! I'm begging you! At this rate, Eren is going to be killed!" he shouted, starting after her. "By the people who don't understand anything, just for the sake of what they perceive as self-defense! The people who continue on the path leading to the destruction of the human kind without even realizing where they're going!"

Right, she agreed in her mind, people who don't understand. If only you did.

"I-I know this doesn't sound convincing, but..." he reached out, grasping her wrist. "But, there is no way left other than to resort to taking this big risky gamble!"

_Don't touch me. Let go. _

"It goes without saying that we'll try not to cause you too much trouble, but..." he tightened his hold, "to pass the check inside Wall Sina we need help of someone from the Military Police, and there's no other way around it!"

She tightened the muscles in her forearm. _Let go already, or I'll..._

"We have no other options!" he started to cry. "So please! _Annie!_"

She relaxed her muscles, peering from the corner of her eye at him. "Let go, Armin." she coldly commanded.

Armin did as he was told, but didn't give up. "Annie, please..."

Turning her head so she got a full view of him with her eye, she watched as a tear slowly trickled its way down his cheek. "Do I... do I really look like such a 'good' person to you?" She fixed him with an eye full of wonder and intrigue, wanting to know his answer. He hesitated again before responding:

"A good person, huh..." he whispered, looking down. "Well, I don't really this way of putting it, because you know," his eyes were focused on the wall again, "I feel like these words are simply what people use to call those who are convenient to them."

Annie opened her mouth slightly to respond, but no words came out as she listened, looking down at the ground, away from him.

"And no one can be convenient to all. You may be useful to some people, but at the same time a bad person to others..." he continued, turning his attention back to her. "That's why, Annie, if you don't help us now..."

She continued to focus her eyes on the ground, but they quickly shot back up at his next words:

"To _me_, you will turn into a bad person."

"Alright," she uttered softly, putting the ring her father gave her on, "I'll help you, Armin." She looked up again, staring into a smiling face that she recognized all too well.

/-.-.-.-\

_ "__Once they're following you, they'll most likely act as normally in the situation as they can. But, they'll be passing signals to each other throughout it."_

_ "I'm aware of that," Annie said and Eliza smirked._

_ "Oh, got it all figured out already? Then, what are we all here for?"_

/-.-.-.-\

Walking on the stone paved ground, Annie listened to the sounds of her boots as she led her three fellow former trainees along, glancing around for any signs of danger. With the three of them looking so suspicious – raincoats in the middle of this heat that had swept through suddenly and with their hoods up – one could never be too careful, and she noticed that the number of people in the area besides themselves was getting smaller and smaller the farther they walked, and it kept her on edge. A horse pulled cart passed them by as they came under a low archway. Behind it was a woman and her child, and as Annie looked over, she remembered her own mother. A hazy blur underneath the shadow of her imposing father. All she remembered, all she took pride in, was the training her father had given her, and as she looked at the mother and her child, all she felt was contempt and, deep down, a loneliness that she disregarded for nostalgia.

Looking over at Armin, she could see the tension that he was trying to hide on his face, and she felt eyes on the back of her head. Facing straight ahead now, she smiled faintly, barely even noticeable, at the dog who was so loyal to her handler. It was intriguing, she thought, for one to have such an unwavering devotion to another, and yet, it was pathetic at the same time. It was consuming Mikasa, engulfing her in flames, and holding her down by chains so she couldn't escape it; in that, it was pathetic. The tension grew as she looked over again, a bead of sweat dropping from Armin's chin, and she felt the dog's eyes shift to the right, at her handler, and his eyes wandered; a signal.

"Surprisingly, they let us through with no problem," Eren started to say, but was shushed by Mikasa for being louder than necessary. He lowered his voice: "The whole time that I was in that carriage, they didn't even bother to check on me..." His voice sounded calm, but also fake and unsure of itself, as if he were telling a lie. Annie listened as Mikasa rebuked him.

"Don't look so shifty," she uttered in a rushed tone of voice, which quickly reverted back to its usual darker undertones. "That's the Military Police for you. Their infamous lack of _diligence_ in performing their routine duties really shows."

Annie slowed her pace as she felt a slight stab of insult at the dog's comment. She agreed with her, but also disagreed because not all of them were like that, certainly not herself, and it hurt a little to hear that.

"I only hope they don't discover Jean is posing as you."

"They're gonna find out soon enough." Annie heard Eren grunt in frustration. "To begin with, him and me look nothing alike..."

"It's ok, you two have similar build and that same vicious look in your eyes, so," Armin interjected, analytical as always, "your typical bad guy mugs look similar."

"But I don't have a _horse face_ like him!"

As Annie listened, there was a few things she needed to confirm. She looked over she shoulder, focusing her eyes on Armin. "Say, if I hadn't agreed to help you, how did you plan to get past the Wall?"

Armin hesitated for a second, forming his words. "We were ready to use the 3D Gear to break through."

"Reckless, aren't you?" she commented, turning her head slightly to the front to hide her smile; hair obscuring any noticeable reaction. "Why didn't you just organize the escape before entering the Stohess District? You could've ended it fast and easy instead of going through all the trouble," she continued, her voice taking a harder tone; her smile gone. "Why does it have to be here and now?" She finally asked, fixing her eye back on Armin.

"I decided that we needed to make use of the complicated layout of this town for our plan with switching Eren for a double succeed," he answered immediately, as if he already had an excuse planned. "I thought that instead of opposing the order head on and escaping, we could buy more time to prepare Eren's escape if we obediently went with it for a while, making them loosen their guard."

Silence.

They kept walking, at a slow pace, and Annie noticed that the streets were getting narrower and more devoid of people. This outcome was inevitable, she thought, given that Armin was involved. She waited a moment more before responding, watching out of the corner of her eye the last person besides themselves visible in the area.

"I see..." she turned forward again, her features giving away nothing of her suspicion except for a small frown that was quickly replaced with indifference. "Convincing enough."

The three behind her didn't respond as they continued down the street. There was a side street that split from the main one, and as they approached it...

"Ah! Here it is!" Armin exclaimed, as they came up to an underground passage.

"Here...?" Annie asked, looking at the steps leading down as they gathered around it.

"Yep, we'll take this passage," he replied. "Some ruins of the underground city planned long ago still remain," he explained as he, Mikasa, and Eren started down it. "This passage connects to an exit close to the outer gate."

"Really? Wow!" Eren exclaimed aloud, taking the lead.

"Taking the underground pathway is much safer than the streets above."

Annie watched as they went further down, listening to the sounds as the people all around them were trying to mask their presences. Too bad, she thought, for it to come to this. The pain she felt was all too real though, despite how much she tried to deny feeling any at all. She continued to watch them:

Armin made a sound as he looked up at her. "Annie?" he said as the other two turned around. Mikasa showed no visible emotion on her face, but Eren was scowling with frustration.

"What's wrong with you?" he called up to her. "Don't tell me you're scared of dark, confined spaces!"

Annie looked at him, strengthening her guard as she responded with more emotion than she would have liked. "Yes, I am. I'm scared. I'm not like you..." she started to say, clenching the hand with her father's ring tightly at her side. "I'm not a brave, reckless guy who's in a hurry to die." She put a hand to her chest, indicating at herself. "There is no way someone like you," her eyes shifted Armin, filling with more emotion as she saw the accusing look in his eyes; it hurt. "Can understand the feelings of a frail, weak girl like me!"

Eren turned back to the passage, not wanting to hear it. "A girl who can send big burly men flying with a single kick is not weak," he growled, obviously frustrated. "Cut the nonsense and let's get going!"

"No. I won't go. It's scary down there..." she replied, continuing to stare into Armin's eyes; ashamed. _Fritz... what do I..._? "If you're not going to take the surface route, then I won't help you." There was a beat of silence as Eren stopped walking, Mikasa and Armin still staring at her. She waited.

"_Wh-!_"Eren spun around, clenching his teeth. "What the hell are you saying?! Get down here, _now!_"

Annie fixed him with unfeeling eyes. _I'm sorry I can't. _She wanted to say, but she couldn't deny the real truth, and as she glanced back at Armin, she realized that he knew that as well. She began to open her mouth to say it, but nothing came out.

"_Don't fuck with me!_" Eren roared, stepping forward.

Mikasa halted him by putting an outstretched arm in front, barring his way. "Eren! Don't shout!"

Annie turned her eyes toward Mikasa now; the dog. "Why not, Mikasa?" she asked, full of contempt, seeing a hint of surprise on the other girl's face. That was all the confirmation she needed now: "For some reason," she questioned, turning her head to look at the narrow side street around them; the lack of people. "There's been no one around us for a while now."

She heard grunts and shuffling as the ones in hiding were still trying to mask their presences. Turning on her heel, she took note of all the places were she heard the sounds. Tightening her muscles, she clenched her fists, proceeding to look at the stone ground beneath her boots.

"Geez..." she sighed, "I'm hurt, you know?" She turned her attention to Armin, who was still looking up at her and biting his lip. Her eyes, seemingly unfeeling, hinted more of her true emotions. "_Armin..._" she called out, watching one his hands move further behind his back and tighten. She had noticed the signal flare firearm earlier. "Since when did you start looking at me with _those_ eyes?" she asked, as she saw him shake a little. Those eyes, full of warmth and trust, were now full of suspicious and disbelief; _determination, _and, buried underneath, _hate__._

/-.-.-.-\

_ What makes a person "good"? Is it the heart that beats within their chest, unclogged and untarnished, or, is it __the__brain__ that resides inside their head, ever thinking and always working?_

_ "Makes a person good?" __Fritz had repeated__, looking away briefly as he scratched the back of his head in thought. __It was... cute... in a__n__ innocent kind of way...__ "Well, I don't really get what you're saying, but to me, what makes a person good is not what's in their heart or mind, but what they believe in and keep within themselves to live on. Everyone has their own idea of what a person should strive to be – or at least that's what my dad __used to say__." Smiling, he looked upon her with a friendly face. "I think, if you are doing what you have to survive, that's all that matters."_

/-.-.-.-\

Annie smiled sadly this time, as she looked into those eyes with empathy, taking a small step back. She wanted to believe his words... even now...

"Annie..." he started to say, stepping forward as the other two stood still. "How come... you were in possession of Marco's 3D Gear?" he asked, his voice shaky, still not wanting to believe what he already suspected.

Annie averted her eyes, turning her head to the side as if something else had caught her eye down the street. She chose not to respond, not wanting to see the mixed looks of contempt and hurt on their faces.

"I remembered the little scratches and dents," Armin continued, his mind flashing back to memories of Marco, "because him and me performed routine maintenance on our Gears together. From that, I knew it was his." He stared into the side of her face for an answer, anything at all. Evidence that ruled against his suspicion was what he hoped she'd provide, but as it stood now that would be impossible. Yet, he could always hope, couldn't he?

"I-I see," Annie replied quietly, listening to the sounds around her. The movement of hidden persons and the combined breathing of everyone close. "I just..." The words drifted from her throat as she eased back more into the street, spreading her feet further apart, but only enough so it looked as if she were buckling under guilt and not having switched her stance to a more defensive one. Taking a quick glance at Armin, she finished her sentence: "... found it." She watched as his eyes widened in some revelation.

"_Then-!_ The one who killed those two Titans the Scouting Legion captured alive... was _you_, Annie?"

Annie lowered her gaze at the ground. "Maybe, maybe not, but," she looked up, towards the sky, "if you came to all these conclusions a month ago..." This time, she turned her gaze to Armin, staring into his eyes. "_Why?_ Why didn't you take action right then?"

Armin just stood with his mouth agape, and seconds passed before he stumbled an answer. "I still..." a tear filled his eye, "can't believe it, even now. I had thought there was a mistake somewhere in my train of thought! I wanted to think there was...!" He looked down, not wanting her to see his tears. "That's why... that's why I didn't-! _But-!_" his voice was hoarse as his mind traveled back to the first time he had realized it was her, "it's because you didn't kill me when you had the chance that things turned out the way they are now!"

Averting her gaze again, Annie looked down the street again, not wanting to see his tears. She didn't like to see him cry, and especially not for someone like herself. It was then that she remembered the first time she'd seen him cry. The truth behind why she'd reacted so harshly to Armin's crying the first time wasn't that it had annoyed her, but that it had upset her, and she realized this back then, but only acknowledged it now, as she skipped a beat before responding to him.

"Yeah..." she started to say, her voice trailing off as she looked at the ground again. "From the bottom of my heart I agree. I couldn't have even imagined that _you_ would track _me_ down and corner me here." _No_, of course she had thought of the possibility. She tried preventing a smile from forming on her face, making it come out as a crooked grin. Tilting her head to take a side glance at his face, she continued, her crooked grin turning into a blank expression, masking her sadness, and, the sudden tinge of appraisal she felt for him. "That time, why didn't I kill you, I wonder..." She questioned aloud, clenching one of her hands into a fist.

"Hey! Annie! There's still a chance!" Eren yelled. "That you're just an unfortunate idiot who thoughtlessly backed up some asswipe's shitty joke!" He stepped forward, reaching out his hand for her to take. "Anyway, come down here already!" Removing his hood, he reached further. "You can prove it to us just by entering this passage! So just come down here and prove it! _Come on!_"

"I can't go there," Annie said, raising a hand to halt him, then proceeding to stare down at it as she pulled it back. "I'm... I'm a failure as a warrior."

Eren slammed his fist on the wall, taking another step forward. "I told you already! Don't be a fool!"

"Talk to us Annie! We can still settle this by talking to each other!" Armin exclaimed, also taking a step forward.

"_Enough._" The stern voice of Mikasa halted the two of them in their tracks. She removed her raincoat, tossing it aside along with the pack she was carrying. "I can't stand listening to this anymore," she proclaimed, staring up at Annie with a cold determination and purpose, pulling out one of her coiled blades. "This leads us _nowhere!_" Poising the blade at her side, she brandished it at her target, "I'll cut you into pieces once again," she kept her eyes trained on Annie, watching for any sudden movements. "_Female-__T__ype Titan!_"

Annie turned her attention from the two who had been trying to reason with words and instead cast her eyes on the dog that bared her fangs. She was waiting for Mikasa to say something, and it looks as if she wouldn't be _disappointed. _Her mouth forming into a grin, she couldn't contain the sensations she felt when she looked into the dog's hateful eyes. It was different than Armin's, and it _intrigued_ her to no end. She couldn't help but..._s__mile._

Their fears confirmed with that one gesture alone than all the others combined, Eren, Armin, and Mikasa braced themselves for anything that would come next.

Annie continued to smile, lifting her balled fist in front of herself as if presenting the slaughtered remains of a past treachery to them. She began to lift it toward her mouth, but stopped halfway to her chest, instead deciding to hold her hand out flat. "Armin," she called out, staring into his blue eyes, "aren't you glad?" She flashed her teeth in a warm smile. "Aren't you lucky that I was such a 'good' person to _you_?" Despite how excited she felt right now from Mikasa's hostility, she couldn't deny her true emotions as tears formed at the corners of her now piercing blue eyes. Taking a small step back, barely even noticeable, she continued talking. "For now, you won the gamble." She could feel the anticipation from the ones hiding around her, and decided on a feint. Raising her open palm to her mouth, her father's gold ring shining in the sun, she acted as if she were going to bite her finger. "But, what _I_ gambled on is only just _starting!_" Moving her other hand to her 3D Maneuver Gear, she then inched the finger closer to her mouth. _This truly is such a cruel world after all, huh Fritz...?_

As Annie drew her finger into her mouth, Armin shot off the signal flare and the ones that had been hiding revealed themselves and sprang forth to apprehend her. She quickly glanced to the sides as she slid one of her coiled blades out of its metal sheath in one swift movement. Bending her knees in a crouching position and twisting her wrist to get a firmer grip on the handle, she smiled at the surprised faces of Eren and Armin and the hateful stare of Mikasa. Spinning on her heel, she swiped the blade at her would be captors charging at her from behind. It tore through clothing, skin, muscle, and bone as it cut across their abdomens and legs – blood spraying from some of the wounds. Their blood sprinkled her body as she completed the circle, coming to a stop and hefting the now red tinted blade at the three in the tunnel. Fixing them with piercing blue eyes of purpose, all the excitement caused had it to appear again; that smile. She poised the blade directly towards Eren."Do you see now? There is no way someone like youunderstand the feelings of a frail, weak _girl_ like me," she said as her smile widened, "and I really am a _frail_ and _weak_ warrior." _It hurts_. "When you had set out for that expedition of yours, I was intrigued: where were they going? I wondered, though in my mind I already had a clear picture. Then, as I watched the experimenters working on those two captured _shits_, I wondered: what are they doing? But as before, I already had a clear picture and so," she drew her free hand across her neck, "I stopped it." _It hurts_. "After, it was time to go for the prize – which was you, Eren." Reaching for her trigger now, she kept the blade pointed at Eren. "The amount of killing and murder I had to do in order to get to my goal had been _intriguing_ and I wouldn't be lying in saying that I _enjoyed_ it." Edging the trigger at the nearest roof, the tallest building, she continued as water began to well in her eyes. "And now, I'm here to finish that goal."

"Eren!" Mikasa shouted, standing between Annie and her target. Glaring at the blonde haired girl, she held out her free arm to stop the two behind her from trying anything stupid. "Armin! Take Eren further down the tunnel and start phase two!" she whispered over her shoulder before addressing Annie. "I knew I should have killed you back then, you-!"

"_Monster_?" Annie finished for her, smirking now. She was swimming in excitement at the dog's hatred, but as a tear rolled down her cheek – it stung. _It hurts_.

"I'll finish what _I_ started back then, and _kill_ you here and now!" Mikasa hollered up to her opponent, taking a step forward and holding up her coiled blade.

_ Woof woof_. "So the mongrel wants to play with the big bad wolf?" Annie remarked, lowering her own weapon. "A fight between _two_ _monsters_, huh?" Glancing at the bloodied weapon in her hand, she remembered Mina's homely, and friendly, face. _It hurts._ "Then I'll go along, so come on," she had barely gotten the last of her words out before Mikasa shot up the stairs with all the fury of hell behind her. The sudden ferocity caught Annie off guard and she pulled down on her trigger – watching a now distant Mikasa as she flew towards her destination. Impacting with a tower, her wire hook biting hungrily into the stone and feet firmly planted, she quickly glanced back to see exactly what she had expected: Mikasa was coming up behind her and _fast_. She smiled; _this was going to be fun_. Removing her hook, she aimed for a nearby roof and shot to it the moment Mikasa had come up behind her. She could felt the air from behind as it was sliced in two with a blade and inhaled – the smell of resentment; she knew it well. As she landed on the roof and tumbled to steady herself, she remembered her father and her promise. _Come back_. Twisting her body, she looked behind to see the dog already coming down upon her from the tower and jumped out of the way as she recklessly tumbled onto the shingles of the roof and came to a stop. Facing each other, they each gripped their blades as they stared one another down.

"This is a continuation of our fight from back then," Annie said, leaning a bit of her blade. "To see which of us is the better _monster_," looking away briefly, she looked at the cannons aimed at their position from atop the Wall, "because I wouldn't call us human. Right, Ackerman?"

"Right." Mikasa replied darkly, pointing her blade at her opponent. "We'll continue that fight from before." Beginning from a dead run, she charged forward and swung her blade at Annie's head, sparks igniting as their blades shaved each other. Twisting her wrist, Mikasa came around again for a second attack and was intercepted by Annie's blade yet again and scowled; bringing it around for a third strike. This time, Annie leapt back and lashed out with her leg, swiping Mikasa's feet from under her. As Mikasa fell, she noticing a cleanly cut string fall from Annie's uniform and smiled. Breaking her fall with her hands, she kicked up with one of her legs to catch Annie in the jaw but the move was anticipated and her opponent grabbed her foot and twisted. Biting down on her lip from the pain, Mikasa twisted her body and kicked out at the same time, knocking Annie back as she got to her feet. Tossing away her blade, she wiped a trickled of blood from her chin as Annie held up her fists – her blade also tossed aside. Now the fight would be decided with their martial arts skills. Cracking her knuckles, Mikasa started to circle her opponent.

Annie watched carefully as Mikasa came around at her side and blocked a swift jab at her left, then another. She stretched her leg out and swiped up high, causing Mikasa to jump out of the way. Glaring at each other, she frowned as she had already anticipated the outcome: the dog was a lot stronger than herself and the fight wouldn't last long if it continued like this. She was positive that she could fight her off and escape, but she didn't want to be exhausted by the time she reached her target. Crouching as Ackerman went for a high kick, Annie dived under her leg and came up behind her; locking her arms around her shoulders and neck. Using the momentum of Mikasa's kick, she kicked her other leg from under her and spun her over her shoulder.

As Mikasa landed on her back from the sudden movement, she slammed her fist on the shingles of the room – cracking a few of them. She didn't want to lose. She didn't want Annie to win. _She didn't want Annie to get to Eren!_ Springing up, she glanced around frantically, but there was no sign of Annie and it was then that it hit her – _she could already be at Armin and Eren's location!_ Looking in the direction of the underground passage, she wasted no time in starting for it. By her reasoning, the two of them weren't even out of the tunnel yet!

Annie stood on one of the roofs overlooking the tunnel – or at least, where she believed the tunnel to be at. She couldn't tell as it was below street level and brought her finger closer to her mouth again. This time she wouldn't let him escape. This was what she's gambled on, after all. _A tear rolled down her cheek as she bit down on her finger, drawing blood. ____It was warm__._


	15. Crystal

**Chapter Fifteen: Crystal**

A massive foot smashed down into the tunnel that Eren and Armin were running along, the two of them shielding themselves from the bits of stone and gravel that flew in their direction from the sudden impact. As soon as the dust settled and they shook themselves free of any clinging debris, they stared at the now blocked path in front of them. The foot came up to reveal a giant hole that it had smashed through the street in order to get to the tunnel. The morning sun was shining faintly down, casting shadows and illuminating the small section of the tunnel that had collapsed.

"It stomped through?!" Eren exclaimed, coughing as he took a step forward, closer into the light. A firm hand grasped his shoulder and pulled him back.

"Eren, get back!" Mikasa shouted, panting heavily as she squeezed on his shoulder. "Do you wanna die?!"

"It... was a _gamble..._" Armin said softly, watching as the owner of the foot came into view above the hole. She was looking down into it, searching for something. "She gambled whether or not you would die by opening that hole. It's crazy and, now, we're in _serious danger_. Annie is absolutely desperate to capture Eren!" His eyes widened as they made contact with Annie's in her Titan form and he gulped, backing up a little in fear. "_Wh..._ _what should we do_?! She blocked our path and even _if_ we tried to quickly get the 3D Maneuver Gear through that hole or back at the entrance, she'd aim straight for us!"

Eren gazed up at the hole, seeing Annie's shadow cast over it and blocking out the sunlight. As he watched her hand reach down into the hole blindly, his mind went back to when they'd first discovered the identity of the Female Type Titan.

_Commander Erwin pulled a seat up in the Scouting Legion's headquarters opposite to Eren and to the far left of Lance Corporal Levi, nodding to each of them in turn as everyone else who had entered with him took their owns seats at the table. "We discovered an entity whom we think is the Female Type Titan," he began, clasping his hands together on the table. "Normally, we would be belonging to the Military Police in the Stohess District and would provide them with the necessary information in regards to this entity's identity. This time, however, we've devised a plan of our own to capture the entity." He fixed Eren with his eyes, leaning forward and putting a finger on the sheet that had been laid out in front of him. "The day after tomorrow, we will put it into action," he revealed, pushing the sheet closer to Eren. Waiting until Eren looked down at the sheet himself, he glanced to each person at the table in turn. "On that day, Eren and I will be summoned to the royal capital. In the current conditions, we can't avoid handing Eren over, otherwise it would be difficult to lure out the entities who are planning to destroy the Walls. It could also potentially lead to the destruction of the human race as a whole. __This plan was devised in order to break through all the difficulties we're experiencing. We will gamble everything on this." Looking up to the ceiling, he sighed. "We have no other choice. This is the only chance left."_

Rearing back as the giant hand nearly touched him, he followed Armin and Mikasa as the two of them backed further into the tunnel. Walking behind Mikasa, he couldn't help but glance back as Armin started talking again.

"We could be stomped on any minute if we stayed there. For the time being, let's get further away."

Eren wasn't paying attention as much as he should have been as he stared down at his hand, flexing his fingers as he stopped in his tracks.

Mikasa noticed his hesitance and told Armin to stop, staring back to Eren with worry and frustration. "Eren?" she asked, taking a step forward and taking a hold of his wrist. Pulling on his arm, she didn't want him to be standing there; frozen. Now wasn't the time. "Eren, we have to-"

"I know that!" Eren shouted through clenched teeth, tearing free of her grasp and balling his hand into a fist. "_I know that_," he repeated softly, staring down at his hand. "I'll," he looked up into his two friends' eyes, "take care of this somehow. Just like how I blocked that cannon that one time! Come here!" Putting his arms around their shoulders, he pulled them closer; Armin yelped in protest but he wasn't listening. "Here I go!" he cautioned, nodding to the two of them as he bit down on his fist so hard that blood sprayed from the wound. The two of them closed their eyes in anticipation for his inevitable transformation. After a moment of standing in silence, they opened their eyes to still see Eren standing there – his fist bleeding profusely as he looked at it dumbfounded; an inevitable transformation that wouldn't come. "Huh? Why isn't it working? Come on, not again! At a time like this?!" he fell to his knees, clutching his fist and wincing. "_Dammit_! This hurts!"

"You can't become a Titan if your goal isn't concrete, right?" Armin interjected, fixing him with wide eyes. "Try imagining your goal one more time!"

"I am dammit! But... _why..._? Why isn't it working?!"

"Really?" Mikasa asked, crouching down to look into his face. "Are you sure you aren't hesitating to fight Annie again?" She coldly watched as he snapped his head up in surprise at her words, a hatred filling her that she'd never felt before. _She'd make that monster pay_. "Don't tell me, at a time like this, you're thinking that _maybe_ it was your _imagination_ that Annie was the Female Type Titan? You just saw her with your very own eyes, didn't you? What she is?" Leaning into his face, her hatred was growing; _she was going to tear that bitch into pieces_. "She's the one who killed your team members, remember? You really still don't think it's her?"

"Shut the fuck up!" Eren retorted, pushing her away. "I'm doing the best I can!" he said, staring into her eyes with rage. "I...!"

"The Female Type Titan is _Annie_." Mikasa interrupted, not wanting to hear his excuses. "So, you have to fight her, right?" She waited a second for his response, but he just stared at his bloody fist again. "_Right_?" Still no response. "Or, maybe, some special sort of feelings are preventing you from doing so?" _Annie, a friend? That monster? Don't give me that bullshit, she tried to kill you!_ Is what Mikasa thought in that moment and had to fight the sudden urge to say it. "Well, Eren?"

"I got a plan!" Armin suddenly shouted, causing both of them to snap their attention towards him. He poised his coiled blade at the blocked path and hole above. "Mikasa and I will each go out of the hole and entrance at the same time. That way, Annie will have to pick one of us! At that time, Eren, you need to run away from her! You can't fight in your condition, the soldiers will take care of her somehow!" He glanced to Eren before stepping back toward the entrance. "Let's go!"

"Wait, Armin!" Eren shouted, rising. "If we do this, then, one of you might _die_!"

"At least all three of _us_ won't die." Armin replied coldly, glancing over his shoulder to Mikasa. "Mikasa, get in position!"

"All right."

"Mikasa!" Eren reached out to her as she ran to the hole. "H-how can the two of you fight like this?" he asked, as Mikasa turned on her heel to fix him with dark eyes.

"We have no choice, do we? _After all, this world..._"

The look in her eyes told him all he needed to know even before she even finished saying it, and, deep down, at the pit of his soul, he agreed without question.

"_...is a cruel place._"

He watched as she continued to the hole, then stared down at his clenched and bleeding fist one last time. Looking up, he stared into her eyes full of determination and purpose. "Yeah, it _really_ is." He commented, biting down on his finger with more force than ever before.

/-.-.-.-\

Desperation rising, eyes searching, feelings burning. Annie glanced quickly all around at the cannons positioned on the Wall and instinctively covered the nape of her neck. She had found Eren inside the tunnel and had almost gotten him – this second time she'd make sure her hand came back with him clasped inside. Peering down at the street, she wondered where they'd be this time, and left her hand along the stone pavement for any small signs of movement that could be felt. There was nothing. _Were they not moving at the moment_? Her eyes widened in surprise as another realization came into her mind – they could be waiting for Eren to go into his Titan form! Spinning around, she caught a glimpse of what she feared before it slammed into her jaw and sent her flying into a building. Eren had bitten his hand and sprang forth from the tunnel!

The impact had obliterated her jaw and it steamed as it slowly regenerated itself. She looked up into the sky as she lay on top of the building and a memory she'd forgotten flashed through her mind...

_Mina was sitting across from her in the mess hall and was non nonchalantly swirling her plate of soup in its bowl. As Annie watched, she couldn't help but get annoyed by the action for some reason – how could she be so carefree about it? She started down at her own __bowl__ of soup; the stuff was runny and tasted like water. _

_ "Say, Annie," Mina started to say as she looked into her soup bowl, "what's your favorite food?"_

_ Annie didn't feel obligated to respond and instead continued to stare down at her bowl. Mina always did this whenever they sat together, she'd try to start pointless conversations that had no meaning whatsoever. _

_ Mina peeked with one her eyes to see if Annie was listening and sighed, then set her spoon down on the table. Smiling now, she fixed the blonde haired girl with her full attention. "Well, my favorite food is definitely not soup – that's for sure!" She pushed her soup bowl to the side and leaned over the table. "Say, Annie, do you-"_

_ "What do you keep doing this?" Annie asked quietly. "What's your objective in pestering me?"_

_ Mina was taken aback by the sudden question and leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. She put a finger to her cheek in thought then lifted it as she responded. "Well, isn't that obvious? I want to know more about you."_

_ Annie didn't really understand why Mina would want to know such miscellaneous things about her and just decided to take a sip of her soup. It tasted horrible, but it kept her attention enough so she didn't have to listen to the annoying pig-tailed girl across the table. She was about to take another sip when Mina's next words froze the spoon halfway to her mouth. _

_ "As friends."_

Friends_? She didn't have any friends. Annie looked up and fixed Mina with her full attention now. "What do you mean '_as friends_'? We aren't anything of the sort. You just sit by me and start random talks about nothing important."_

_ "That's what friends do, and, Annie, I view you as my number one friend here!" Mina exclaimed happily, then pouted childishly. "But I wish you'd at least talk to me once in awhile! It's like I'm talking with myself most of the time – do you remember when I told you that I improved my balance with the 3D Maneuver Gear recently?"_

_ Annie wasn't paying any attention as her mind was still wrapping itself around what Mina had just said. Friends? She viewed Annie as her number one friend in the Trainee Squad? "Why?" she asked, confused and irritated at the same time._

_ "So I came get in the top ten!" Mina replied, waving a hand. "I've always wanted to-"_

_ "No, not that, I mean why do you consider me your number one friend?"_

_ "Oh, that! Isn't it simple?" she said, leaning forward again. "I like talking to you, and I believe that underneath that quiet exterior is a great person just ready to burst out!" Her smile was wide and almost blindingly happy. "I want us to become best friends, Annie! You, me, and Fritz!"_

_ Annie was stunned and scooted back in her chair a bit – this girl was overbearingly annoying. Yet, Annie couldn't help but let a small smile out. She quickly hide it behind a blank stare before Mina could see. "And why would I want to be your friend, let alone best friend?" She'd already had one of those, and she couldn't take the pain of another._

_ Mina pondered the question a moment. "Because..." she slammed a fist down on the table. "I think it's too sad for you to be alone all the time!" She confessed. "I don't like seeing you by yourself! It's ok to have friends Annie! Even if it's just me! Can't you just accept my-"_

_ "No." Annie cut her off coldly – she was getting very irritated now. She didn't need any friends. Enemies. "I don't accept you as my friend." And with that the conversation turned sour and they were both silent for the rest of the mess hall period._

As the memory faded, Annie felt a tear well at the corner of her eye. _Why_? It was then that she remembered Mina's face again. _Why, dammit_? Friends, she hadn't wanted to admit it then, but Mina was in fact a friend to her, and had not only been that, but her best friend. After that incident, she had begun to open up more and talk with Mina as friends would and felt the tear roll down her cheek and evaporate from heat that was emanating from her jaw to repair it. _Mina..._

Annie sat up and shook her head then looked down at the damage she had done to the building – she had crushed it and the people inside. Underneath one of her hands was a dead woman with blonde hair and blue eyes and she was immediately reminded of her mother. _It hurts._ Annie didn't want to see her mother now – not at a time like this. Getting up slowly, she took one last glance at the dead woman before starting off at a dead sprint down the street. She could hear soldiers behind her and their wires as they gave chase – but her only thoughts were what right in front of her. The Wall. Hearing them shout and curse, she stopped suddenly and swiped the tops of the buildings closest to her and watched as debris rained down on the startled soldiers and townspeople. She didn't want to hurt anyone down there - but she had to get away. She was about to turn back to the Wall when a blur flew across her vision and slashed at her nose – causing deep gashes that bled and steamed profusely. Snapping her head at the culprit, she saw the familiar face of the dog as Mikasa glared hatefully back at her.

Mikasa landed on a rooftop and looked up at Annie's Titan Form, scowling that she'd missed her eyes. At that moment Armin came up beside.

"Good job, Mikasa!" he called over. "Now attack her from her blind spot next! We can't take any more chances like that!"

Mikasa nodded in agreement. "Understood!" She aimed her triggers at the tallest nearby building in back on Annie and pulled down. _I'm gonna take the responsibility!_ She resolved in her head and quickly glanced over at Annie. _I'll be the one to take her down!_

Annie wiped one of her massive hands over the cuts Mikasa had inflicted on her and looked down at the steaming blood smeared over it. It hadn't hurt, but another part of her was indefinitely. _Her heart_. Annie clenched the hand into a fist and turned to where Mikasa was flying to – she had seen her out the corner of her eye. She wanted to finish what they hadn't finished the first two times before...

_ T__heir fight._

Evading and twisting around to the other side of Annie, Mikasa aimed for the nape of her neck. Knowing it wouldn't work, she waited for Annie to instinctively protect her vital point and then executed her true goal. Swinging around her shoulder, Mikasa sliced Annie's fingers as she passed and came round. She detached her hooks as soon as she met eyes with the one of Annie's large ones and watched as her hooks impacted with Annie's face – the ugly face of a monster. As Annie bellowed from the sudden pain, Mikasa shot her hooks at the nearest tall building and flew right at her again. She slashed at the eyes as soon as she came within striking distance and tore off again, landing on the roof of a building hastily. Looking up at Annie, she watched as the other girl flailed around with two bleeding holes that had once been her eyes and felt triumphant in her actions. The bitch was going down.

Annie cupped her massive hands around her two eye sockets, blind and semi oblivious to what was going on around her. The blood pooling out of the two holes and streaming down the sides of her face, she knew she couldn't stay like this forever, leaving the nape of her neck unprotected. Mikasa would use that to her advantage. Knowing this, Annie flailed around so nobody would come near enough to try and attack her as she focused all her regeneration on her left eye – the one furthest away from Mikasa's viewpoint. Annie had heard the general direction of where Mikasa had landed; her wire as it retracted; the sounds of her boots on the shingles of the roof. The sounds around her had become amplified in her desperation to regain her sight and she slammed into the side of a building, destroying part of it. She didn't care, all she cared about was living. If she was going to do that, she'd need her sight back. That was her only concern. As she continued to flail about, another memory surfaced in her mind...

_Left, right, left, right, left, right. Swing. Going through the motions, that was all she could do. The training was too tiring. It hurt. Her arms, they were heavy. She was tired. It hurt. Left, right, left, right. Swing. So tired. Sweating so much. She couldn't stop, though, because her father was watching. She had to keep going; she had to keep swinging; she had to keep doing the left and right motions. Anger, fury, rage. It rose up from the bottom of her gut into her heart, making everything dark. This training was too much. She couldn't take it anymore. _

_ Out of the corner of her eye, her father was silently watching. Like a statue, he was still. Like a statue, he was unmoving. A thing chiseled from stone that was cold and unfeeling. Her father just silently watched. Every time she would take a swing, his brow became furrowed. He didn't like her swings. They were weak, they were pathetic. They were useless, they were no good. She wasn't trying hard enough. She was a disgrace. Water started to fill her eyes; she couldn't take it anymore. It hurt too much._

_ Left, right, falter, slow, left, right, falter, slow. Stop. She couldn't go on anymore. Panting from exhaustion, sweating profusely. She couldn't continue swinging. Her father's face filled with anger. Why was she stopping? Why didn't she continue? She should keep going until she drops; she should keep going until she dies. A sweet voice, a woman's voice. Her mother. Let her rest. She's tired. Give her time and she'll get used to it. Don't be so harsh. She's your daughter. She's our precious child. Don't forget that. Her mother had tears in her eyes. The water that welled in the corners of Annie's eyes rolled down her cheeks; she was crying now too. _Mother_!_

Annie looked down at one of her massive hands with one eye regenerated now. Clenching it into a fist, a tear rolled down the eye. Her mother. She'd forgotten that sweet voice. More memories came flooding back to her and it hurt. She couldn't keep them away, they were tearing her mind in two. She bellowed from the pain. _Mother__... _Wailing, Annie cradled her head and swung it around in a fit. She had forgotten her promise. She needed to keep her promise. Looking to the Wall, she remembered her promise: _she needed to go back_. One last chance, a fleeting moment. She had to do it.

_ What's she..._? Mikasa started to wonder as she watched Annie look over to the Wall. Her gaze followed the direction, but there was nothing there that looked to be of any importance. There was nothing there but...

"Flatland ahead! She's headed for the flatland!"

_ Damn. She's meaning to escape_! Mikasa bit down on her lip hard enough to draw blood. _She's going to run away! I won't let her_! Mikasa leaned over the roof to the ground below and looked for anything she could land safely on; there wasn't anything. It was too far down to just jump, she'd only end up breaking a leg. Glancing quickly back to Annie, the monster was already near the flatland and she could hear horses whining. _The bitch was trampling them in her wake_. Mikasa jumped down and latched onto a window. She'd get down one way or another. She wasn't about to let Annie off that easily. Falling again, she grabbed for a foothold and felt the strain as her arm shook. She was almost to the ground. As she fell again, she glanced over. Annie was heading over the flatland. Mikasa looked back down. There was the ground. She dropped and landed smoothly. Rising, other soldiers were around her staring up at Annie in her Titan form.

"There's no way we'll get her now, there are no buildings over there!"

"Looks like we'll have to go around and..."

"But if we take the long roundabout way, she'll just have enough time to escape!"

Mikasa filled with rage. She didn't care. She'd reach Annie no matter what it took. Looking over, the building ahead could be used as a boost for... the ground shook and caused her to stagger. Pounding on the ground, running, massive feet. Over her shoulder, another Titan. "Eren!" She looked up into his face, but couldn't read his expression. She couldn't read the expression of a monster. Looking back to the building, she shot her wires at it and was on the roof seconds later. If Eren was ready to go, then so was she. Coming up right after her were Hange Zoe and Armin.

"Looks like this time he managed not to lose himself after transforming," Hange commented and smirked. She glanced over to Mikasa. "If that's the case, we'll believe that Eren is going to buy us enough time!" Looking back to Armin, she nodded and turned her attention to everyone else. "Split up into two groups! Secure the Female-type no matter what!" she shouted at the top of her lungs as poised a coiled blade in Annie's direction.

Annie reached the end of the flatland and could hear it. Eren was gaining on her. She'd end his pursuit here. There was no other choice. Running in between the buildings, she waiting until he gained enough momentum to not be able to stop himself and twisted around on one of her massive ankles. Grasping the buildings for support and turning around to face him, she crouched down as she slide to a stop and lowered her gaze. _Mother. Father. _Turning her eyes back to Eren, she waited until he came within swinging distance. _I..._

/-.-.-.-\

Annie went down, falling off the Wall and landing hard onto the ground below, creating a shallow crater. She sat there for a moment, thinking _I'm sorry_ as Mikasa glared hatefully down upon her and Eren restrained her with a hold. Everything was over, everything was done. She failed. She had failed to get away. Turning her eyes to where Fritz, Eliza, and Achi had been watching the whole time, a tear forming.

The sound of repeated rhythms and practice came back to her. _I'm not strong, Father_. The smell of the outdoors, a smiling face. _I'm not sweet, Mother_. The day her best friend had come to them, scared, alone, afraid. _I'm not a worthy friend, Achi_. Black braids behind her back, that homely face. _Mina_. A stupid grin, a proud salute; green eyes that wouldn't give up on her. _Fritz_. The tear fully formed and pooled at the corner of her eye. _Monsters don't deserve love, monsters don't deserve a saviour, monsters don't deserve kindness. Killers don't have the right to love, killers don't have the right to a saviour, killers don't have the right to kindness_. _A monster and a killer, that's what I am. That's what I can't change. Father, Mother, Achi, Mina, Fritz. I don't have the right to have people like you and you don't deserve to have a person like me! _Eren ripped open the nape of her neck, revealing all that she was. All that she was through one tear.

In the moment, she remembered the stupid grin again, the proud salute. She recalled that homely face and those scared eyes. Even if she were a monster, she couldn't just throw them all away, couldn't see herself abandoning them; some of them again. If she did, then she'd truly be a monster. A demon. Eyes fluttering open, she couldn't throw just it all away now! She's already taken a step into hell, so what's a few more to her now?! All of these images of her life flashing, constricting her chest with a mix of every emotion imaginable.

_ Promise me. Promise me that you'll come back_.

Even in a monster's heart, a demon's, there is purity. It shines brightly, uncut and untarnished at the pit of their soul, ready to be mined. Waiting to be uncovered. Crystal.

/-.-.-.-\

All around Annie's fragile form, steam billowed and explosions manifested out of thin air, forcing everyone to shield themselves and move back. Fritz looked down upon the scene, not sure what to make of it. A thousand possibilities went through his mind at once, and his head hurt. He couldn't...! She couldn't... be...

"Annie!" he yelled and Achi clasped a hand over his mouth, pressing hard.

"Shh! You're too loud!"

"But-!"

"She's not dead," Eliza interrupted, nodding at the steam which was now evaporating quickly. "Look closely, you'll see something and it's not what you're thinking..."

Inside the steam, at its center, was indeed Annie. Rather, it was Annie encased in some transparent block. A crude block that was rough around the edges and appeared ice cold to the touch. It was crystal; a crystal barrier. Down below, nobody moved for a second, just as confused as the three of them were and Eliza whistled, obviously amused.

"Never seen that before!" she exclaimed, rubbing her hands together. "And I've seen a few things in my time!" The grin on her face was so wide it seemed as if her nose and chin were invisible. "This is..."

"Her heart..." Achi said softly, staring longingly at the block of crystal. Eren and the rest were moving it. Some of them were trying to hack at it with their blades but there seemed to be no effect, the crystal harder than the toughest metal. The outcropping of a lonely girl's heart.

Above, where Mikasa was still hanging from the Wall, the cracks where Annie's Titan hand had clawed, trying to escape, further expanded and crumpled. Mikasa knocked away a piece of the Wall and peered at what was beneath, her eyes wide with shock. _Wha... what in the world is..._?! Underneath the Wall was a Titan!

Fritz, Eliza, and Achi looked up as Mikasa screamed down to Eren and the rest below. The three of them looked closer and saw it too; the Titan.

"Fuck..." Achi cursed and punched the chimney she'd been standing next to.

Fritz's eyes went wide and he looked from Annie to the Wall rapidly. "What... does this mean...?!" he said aloud, but Achi was silent with her head bowed and Eliza was too busy snickering to respond. "Annie...!"

A pain shot through his skull and he clutching the sides of his head, falling to his knees in agony on. The shingles of the roof creaked beneath him as he sweated and started panting. Unbearable pain. Something was coming into him and he couldn't stop it from doing so! It crawled into his mind, pushing past his thoughts and feelings, his emotions, right down to the core of his memories. It stabbed at them, probed them. Inspected them. The pain lessened, the gradually he realized something... _else _was inside those memories; intermingled with his own. Somebody else. Someone else's memories. Their life and his together in the same conscious thought.

He opened his eyes again to a light brown ceiling and the rustle of bedsheets. Two blurry forms, one tall, the other short. A pleasant smell, something baking. Eliza was standing over his prone body, peering down at him.

"He dead, you think?" he thought she'd asked, but he wasn't sure.

"Does it look I would know?" A voice replied; Achi was looking out a window, her hand touchng the glass. It looked to hold sentimental value to her, in some way or another.

"He's waking up," Eliza said, leaning down closer. "Heeey, can you hear me?" She rapped on his temple and he glared at her in response. She called over to Achi, saying that he was alright or "alive and pissed" - as it were.

As Fritz supported himself up by an elbow, all he heard was Achi's grunt in reply. "What...?" he rubbed the side of his head and looked around. It was an old room and a quick glance out the window revealed that they were in the Trost District. He didn't even have to think to know that much. Though, he couldn't remember what had happened after his head had-

Eliza spoke up: "You were screaming and flailing around until you finally went quiet and fell down." She pointed over at the Achi. "Me and the midget carried you over here. It-"

"It used to be the home after my home." Achi chimed in quietly. "It's... precious to me..." Fritz noticed that the usually short tempered girl didn't respond to being referred to as a midget, which he thought was odd, but didn't say anything as she continued: "After your little episode, they took Annie away – probably deep in Military Police territory where she could be monitored and examined further..."

"And underground, just in case she were to transform again..." Eliza added, then chuckled. "As if that'd ever happen again!"

"What the hell do you mean by that?!" Fritz roared and sat up fully, trying to grab at her. Rage filled him. "What happened to her?!"

Eliza held up a hand. "Nothing did, but did you see the state she was in? No way she's getting out of that anytime soon."

"And there's no possible way for them to break into it... they already tried everything they could, when you were out. It's been half a day since then..."

Fritz slowly processed this information. If that's the case, then Annie's still alive_! If she's still alive, then-_!

"We have to go see her! Even if it's only this one time! Even if it's hopeless! I-!"

Achi spun around with anger in her hazel eyes. "_We_ have to go see her. It's not always all about you, you stupid bastard!" she exclaimed and Fritz smiled, nodding. "She owes me some explanations!"

"One problem, you don't have a way in..." Eliza said, ruining their moods. "The Military Police will have her locked down tight," she pointed out, glancing to each of them in turn, "so we'll just have to sneak in."

/-.-.-.-\

Later that night, the three of them were silently moving along. They'd managed to get into the area where Annie was being kept, the entrance being directly below them. Fritz peered up at the fifty meters of Wall Sina, thinking of all that had transpired. All his friends, everyone that died, everyone that was still alive. The pain. The hope. The suffering. The joy. As he did so, the pain from earlier came back and he clutched the side of his head again, only this time it wasn't as severe and he could stay on his feet, but he was locked in place. There were... fragments... of memory – not his own – that were coming to him. _Memories of practicing. Of lefts and rights. Of a burning village. Of Achi. Of Mina. Of Annie..._

"Fritz, what's wrong?" Achi whispered behind him. Eliza was leading the way, since she'd volunteered. "Keep moving or they'll notice us..."

"Yeah, I'm sorry, I'm just catching my breath..." The pain started ebbing away...

"Well now's not the time!" She poked him and pushed him forward. "Go!"

"Right... I'm going..."

Feeling his way in the darkness, following behind Eliza's dark and twisting form, he couldn't shake off the feeling that something had been odd about those memories. He'd dismissed them as his own, yet...

_ He didn't know of any burning villages that he could recall._


	16. Meetings

**Chapter Sixteen: Meetings**

"So, this is her," Captain Ines said, peering closely at the girl encased in crystal. "A former trainee from the 104th, correct?"

"That's right, ma'am. Annie Leonhart." Zena answered, holding a clipboard. "Says here that she has no family to speak of. Any that's known, anyway," the young woman looked up and squinted. "She's a survivor from five years ago."

"Shiganshina?"

"One of Wall Maria's outlying villages. Overrun by Titans..."

There it was again, that village. _Why does it keep coming up_? _All the sources we've found so far seem to point to this one area in Wall Maria, but I have a feeling that's not where they originated from_.

Her legs propped up on her desk now, she examined her throwing knives, made of coiled steel like the standard issue blades of the military. They were engraved with her father's favourite saying: "Behold courage" etched on the first and "Denounce cowardice" on the second in fancy lettering. _This Leonhart is our best link so far, yet we can't interr__o__gate her because of the damned crystal she's stuck in_. Twirling the knives, she sheathed them and looked up at Zena, who was waiting patiently by the door. The girl had survived enough expeditions to be called a veteran, or just lucky in some soldiers' opinions, but Ines knew there was a hidden spark under her calm demeanor; that was the reason she'd chosen Zena to be a part of her squad in the first place. The way she walked. It held fire, much like herself.

"Zena, round up everyone else and gather them here, I'm going to go over what we've learned so far and layout our next move."

"Yes, ma'am!" Zena saluted, leaving and shutting the door behind her.

Ines sighed and touched her belt, looking at the book lying face down on her desk. The tops of petals and the bottoms of stems poked out from its closed pages, its leather covering coated with dried blood and mucky water. She wondered if luck was what really got them all through hell, or if it was really the sparks hidden in their hearts that drove them through instead.

/-.-.-.-\

"There she is," Eliza said, pointing to a giant eery bluish glow down the corridor and around a corner. "A little further..." she motioned Fritz and Achi to follow closer as she hugged the stone wall, ducking under torches and slipping into any shadow she could find. Fritz and Achi did the same, though Achi didn't need to duck; just one of the many advantages to being short.

"There are probably going to be guards stationed there." Achi whispered as they came to the end of the corridor. "We won't be able to get past them easily, or even at all maybe."

"The Military Police are a bunch of lazy imps, they won't be paying attention." Eliza replied, peering around the corner.

"How do you know?" Fritz asked.

"Memory. Look, see? There's nobody there. Easy." Eliza smirked and glanced back. "Try not to stare at her boobs this time, eh Fritz?" she winked and Achi frowned.

"What does she-"

"N-Nothing! Nothing at all!" Fritz exclaimed. "Let's just focus on seeing Annie, I'll go first..." he pushed past her and glared at Eliza as he rounded the corner. Eliza had been right – it was empty. Dead, even. It seemed strange to him, but he wasn't about to question it now of all times. This could be his only chance to see her again, in the flesh. He wasn't about to waste it. The eery bluish glow wasn't as intense the closer he got to the entrance of the room, but he still couldn't shake off the strange feeling. It was odd. Suddenly, the pain started in his head again and he put a hand on the wall to steady himself.

_ There's someone in there. Be careful._

"Who...?" he looked around having heard a voice, but nobody was there. Eliza and Achi were still waiting around the corner and it hadn't sounded like either of their voices, it had sounded more like-

_ Yes, it's me. No time to explain, just keep going straight and I'll tell you where she is._

"Right..." he replied slowly and followed the voice's instructions, carefully moving to the entrance. The artificial lighting was scarce inside, the natural light coming from the crystal illuminating more than enough of its surroundings to see clearly. Fritz was centimeters from stepping into the room when the voice yelled to stop.

_ Don't! She's right there! __Crouch when you enter, I'll tell you when..._

Fritz did as he was told, odd as it seemed, and took the last few steps...

_ Now__!_

He crouched and a coiled blade swiped where his upper body had been moments before, his eyes wide as a strong hand grabbed him, pulling him inside and throwing him to the ground. He slide in front of the crystal, rubbing his ass as he sat up. _What..._?

_ It's Ackerman. She knew you three were coming and told the guards to leave, wanting to deal with you herself_.

_ Why didn't the guards stop her_? Fritz asked in his head upon realizing the voice had responded to his thoughts. _More importantly, what does she want from us_?

_ It's the Military Police and the Scouting Legion. They found out that I had help and the evidence pointed to you three. Mikasa couldn't let it go, she wants to kill you three before anything else happens. Look out_!

Fritz rolled out of the way of a downward cleave and crawled on his hands and knees to the opposite wall. Standing up, he held out his hands. "Hey hey! Wait a sec! It's me, Mikasa! It's Fritz!" he shouted, seeing the dark outline of the girl partially obscured by shadow.

She poised her blade towards him. "You helped her. You helped that bitch to try and capture Eren!" Her eyes were murderous and she took a step forward. "Why would you?! Annie's one of them! One of the enemy, they're trying to crush humanity. They're trying to kill _Eren_. Why would you help her?!"

Fritz continued to hold up his hands, while also reaching for his own blade. "Annie's one of our friends, too, isn't she? If I helped her, then I thought maybe she'd join our side and-"

"She was never on our side," Mikasa spat and lowered her blade. "You were there during the expedition. You saw what she did. She isn't our friend! She's-"

"A monster?" Fritz interrupted, in the same tone that Annie had back then. His lips curled into a smile. _An inhuman smile_. "A monster, she's just a monster to you. If that's the case, then what about your precious Eren? Isn't he a monster as well?"

Mikasa filled with a deeper rage than before. "Shut up. You have no right to call him that," she lifted the blade again, "I'm going to kill you, traitor, and _this time_ I'll won't let Eren get in the way!" She lunged forward, the stone floor sinking under her superhuman-like strength.

Fritz countered with his own blade just in time, deflecting Mikasa's blade, cutting stone wall. She scowled and twisted her wrist for another strike, lower this time, but Fritz parried again. Sparks flew. Mikasa pressed harder. He couldn't take her blows and within seconds she'd torn his blade from his grasp. Swiping her feet from under her the second he saw an opening, keeping his guard up even as she fell to the ground, he wasn't about to be defeated that easily. Panting heavily, he looked down at his posture, his curled up fists. Annie's signature stance. With no time to think on it, he barely dodged another cleave, the blade nicking his shoulder, drawing blood. Wincing, he rolled away from her and was backed into the crystal, feeling its rough edges. Mikasa thrust her blade straight for his throat and the blade was knocked aside suddenly. _Eliza had joined the fray_.

"Need some help there?" she asked, grinning. Blocking a slice from Mikasa, she didn't see the second blade and paid the price as the other girl sliced four of her fingers off on the right hand just below her second joints. The parts flying free in bloody streams, she was forced to drop her weapon. Cursing, she blocked her body with her already injured hand and Mikasa sliced it off at the forearm, blood spurting all over the three of them.

Fritz didn't hear Eliza scream out in agony, but instead she... was _laughing_? He looked over and Achi was standing silently by the entrance, watching the fight. He called over for her to help but she shook her head. She wasn't going to get involved.

"Damn, that hurt," Eliza complained, grimacing at her lost appendage. Leaping back, she went down to one knee and compressed it to halt the bleeding as dark crimson pooled at her feet. "Goddammit, that really fucking _hurt_!" she howled as Mikasa raised her blade to finish her off.

"Fall, traitor," the black haired girl growled coldly, her blade high. She was bringing it down full force to strike Eliza on the skull when another, a third party, intervened.

"That's enough," Captain Ines commanded, holding Mikasa's blade in midair with a gloved hand. "Stop fighting, the three of you." Mikasa tried pushing the blade further down, but it only caused the Captain to resist harder. "I said _stop_, Ackerman. You're not the executioner. You have no right to murder them."

Mikasa glared at her, but stopped resisting, looking away hatefully. "Yes, ma'am..." she obeyed under her breath.

Ines kept her expression blank and inspected the gash in her glove. After checking that everything was alright, she looked down. "Zena, Alger, get this girl medical attention right this second. Riecka and Larrens," she glanced over at the crystal formation, lingering for a second or two on Fritz. "Take this boy and the other two away. To Legion Headquarters."

"What about you, Captain?" Larrens asked, coming forward. "Should we wait for you?"

"No, head straight there. Don't alert anyone to your movements. I'll be staying here for a bit to figure some things out. Get moving!"

"Yes, ma'am!" her squad saluted, doing as ordered.

Ines barely even took notice of Fritz's wide eyes as he passed while being led by Riecka. The only one she bothered to look at, even if only for a split second, was Achi, who was too busy telling Larrens not to touch her to notice. She looked back at Annie Leonhart, encased in her crystal fortress.

_ What is luck or was it a spark_? she wondered, lightly touching her father's throwing knives.

/-.-.-.-\

Ines tapped the short hilt of her throwing knife, leaning forward in her chair. Looking between the two of them, her gaze again lingered on Achi more than it did Fritz. Achi had a hard stare about her, while Fritz was distraught. His eyes kept moving from her to Achi. It was obvious he wanted to say something and she knew the conversation couldn't get started without it. Motioning with a wave of her hand, she gave the go ahead for him to speak his mind. He nodded.

"Ines!" he smiled brightly. "I've finally caught up with you! There's so much-!"

She stayed him with a wave of her hand. "Enough. It's nice to see you too, little brother." She said and turned to Achi. "Do the two of you know why you are here?" she asked.

"Trespassing," Achi retorted.

"And withholding information," the Captain added. "Tell me what happened five years ago." She commanded suddenly, leaning back, still staring at the girl. "We already know you're from the same village as Leonhart, so there's no use keeping it from me or," her eyes darted to Fritz for a split second, "do you not want anyone to find out more than they should be privileged to know?" No response. Ines smiled. "We have all the rest of this night and the morning after, so take your time getting it out."

Fritz was worried Achi was about to explode given the look in her eyes. It was hostile and caged; like a captive wolf without means of escape. Deadly and dangerous. Looking between the two of them still, he frowned. He wanted to say more to his sister, it's been so long, but all she was interested in at the moment was Achi. _Her village_? he asked in his head, hoping Annie could shed some light on the subject. _What happened to it_?

Silence, then: _It was burned to the ground, overrun by Titans_. Annie replied after a beat. _Nothing but the shell remains; ruins. To us, it's still home, but Achi doesn't want to go back, unlike I do. I've always wanted to..._

_ Five years ago? When Wall Maria fell? And you want to go back, is that it...? Because you made a promise, right_? Fritz had seen it – the promise. Her father's words. _Your father, he was always by your side, huh_?

Another beat. _That's right. Always..._

_ Kind of like my father. He was always there for us. Me, Ines, Lex, Sofie. He'd tell us stories and-_

_ How did he die? _Annie interrupted, her curiosity surfacing suddenly in her tone of voice_. _The talk of his father interested her more than she had realized_._

_ Two years after Maria fell. The grieve – it just got to him and ate away at him inside, until he drank himself to death from depression. A street corner, that's where we found him one day. Just lying there, face down in the dirt. In the filth. _Fritz clutched his pant leg_. He didn't deserve to die covered in mud and dirt, he deserved to die on his feet! That's... why... that's..._

_ Sometimes, you can't always get what you want in life. Even if that is a decent death. You never know how that's going to play out, in the end. _A pause_. I'm... sorry. About your father._

_ It wasn't your fault. It was never your fault. I can't bring him back, no matter how much I beg, so moping about it won't do me any good. Say, what about your father? Is he...?_

_ I don't know. That's what I want to find out. That's why I have to go back. That's why I made that promise..._

"So, you won't tell me, huh?" Ines sighed, rubbing the back of her head. "Well, nothing I can do about it now. Moving on," she turned to her younger brother now, "why were the two of you there. Were you trying to free Leonhart from her prison?"

"Love." Fritz replied quietly and his older sister perked up an ear, not quite hearing his answer. Blushing set in on his features. "It was out of... _love_. I wanted to see her again, even if it was only once. Even if I only had the one chance, and I did." Fritz smiled warmly.

Ines tilted her head and glanced over at Achi, who shrugged and didn't offer a comment. "And the third one, Eliza... Garrot... was it? She's still in the infirmary, the injury to her arm is severe. They had to even out the torn skin, set what was left of her bone and muscle, then wrap the stump. Right now, she's resting. Ackerman was sent back and has been given a strict warning. I've cleared it with the higher ups and there won't be a court case this time, but next time," she looked at each of them in turn. "There _will_ be an execution." Her voice was level but hints of dread could be heard underneath, indicating that there could be more than one execution the next time, if things ever got out of hand. "The two of you are dismissed for the time being, go check up on your friend, I'm sure she'd be thrilled to see you both."

The two of them got up swiftly and saluted, then were led out the door by Larrens.

Ines had caught Fritz's eyes as he'd left and scowled. _That boy, what am I going to do with him_? She motioned for Riecka to close the door then sighed, putting her head in her hands. She chuckled. "He's just like father was back then..."

/-.-.-.-\

Achi and Fritz were waiting near Eliza's door when the older girl shouted gleefully that they could come in at any time, they didn't have to wait for an invitation. They were shuffled inside and their eyes wandered to the stump that was now her right forearm. Eliza smirked and waved it at them.

"Jealous? It was bleedin' pretty bad back there, I was worried all my blood would spill out onto the floor! Luckily, they were able to patch me up good. I can still feel it, though. I think that's what they call a ghost limp?"

"Does it hurt?" Fritz asked dumbly, not sure what to really say in the current situation.

Achi looked up at him and blinked. "Of course it hurts, you dumbass."

"Hey! It's just that when it was happening, she was laughing and-!" His next words were drowned out by Eliza's eery laughter.

"It was her eyes," she said through her teeth. "They reminded me of myself..." her voice trailed off and she looked beyond the two of them, as if at a distant memory. As quick as it happened, the moment was gone and she smirked. "Damn, she was a real psycho bitch, wasn't she? 'Fall, traitor' and all that shit. What is she, a stairwell?" Both of them just stared at her and she raised an eyebrow. "What? You've never fallen down the stairs before?"

_ No, I don't think that's what..._

"That joke was stupid. Even stupider than my jokes!" Fritz exclaimed, suppressing his laughter.

Eliza smirked and Achi let a faint smile creep to her lips. Moments like these were worth all the pain in the world.

Fritz couldn't tell, but he was sure Annie was indulging in the moment along with them and smiled. Yes, now he had a new goal; he'd take on her promise. He knew now that the burning village in his memory had been Achi's village, which meant that Annie had also lived there. Yeah, he still had so many questions he wanted to ask her, and as the four of them were caught up in this silly moment, he knew that he'd get the answers to all of them, if he just kept at it, he'd get somewhere.


	17. Shelters

**Chapter Seventeen: Shelters**

"Titans have appeared from the Southwest!" a courier on horseback shouted at the top of his lungs, before even reaching the entrance to the Scouting Legion Headquarters.

Captain Ines, her squad, Squad Leader Hange, Captain Levi, and others were all going over strategies with Commander Erwin when the news hit them, and the Commander wasted no time in issuing a response. "I want reinforcements sent there immediately!"

Ines hefted a satchel over the side of her horse as Fritz came up to her. She only acknowledged his presence after she'd already fully equipped herself and her horse, then checked if her squad had done the same. Looking down at him from atop her horse, her facial expression blank. "What is it, _Brandt_?"

"Ma'am!" He saluted. "I'd like to accompany you and your squad as an attachment!"

"Just you, or are there others?"

Fritz pointed at three horses in the stables. "Achi and Eletta are coming too, they've switched out of the Garrison to join us!"

More lambs for the slaughter, huh? Ines thought as she looked at the three horses, then back down to her little brother. "As a member of the Scouting Legion, you have the right to join us. The three of you can ride with us, but we're losing daylight as it is, and we can't wait for three stragglers, so get your gear and tell the only two to do the same. On the double."

Fritz smiled and saluted again. "Yes, ma'am!"

**Two Days Prior**

Ymir rapped her fingers across the wooden table, looking out the narrow window of Castle Midgard at the barren fields below. She was irritated. Her squad and the other had been searching for breaches in the Wall when they'd decided the castle would be a perfect place to rest. "It's a bunch of decrepit ruins," Ymir observed and Krista glanced over at her along with Jayce. "It's right next to the fucking Wall too, we're like a bunch of sitting ducks!" She slammed her fist down. "And what the hell are we all doing just sitting here?!"

"I don't know about you, Ymir, but I sure could use the rest," Connie commented and Krista put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. Connie sighed, looking out the window himself, and put a hand on his cheek, his elbow lazily propped on the table. "My village isn't far from this place..."

"My town is nearby as well." Sasha joined in, looking crestfallen.

"We've come all this way to the Southern Districts of Wall Rose and we can't even visit our own villages." He sighed again. "It's not like we have anything else to do here anyway, like Ymir said, we're just waiting for nothing. Just keep spendin' day after day lazin' around," he said aloud, and chuckled. "Maybe we should all slip away during the night..."

"Eh? You want to go back that badly?" Sasha asked, glancing at him. "I was told not to come back until 'I become a proper human being'..."

"And I'm a genius. A midget like me with no chance of joining the military, let alone getting into the top ten? I'd like to go back there so they'd all see what I've managed to do, even if I was only able to stay for a short while."

Jayce had been listening to the conversation while seated on the other side of Krista, who was busy chatting with Ymir. He couldn't just join their conversation, it'd just be awkward; "Yeah, I want to go back to my three story house in Wall Sina, I miss being pampered by my relatives". Yeah, no. That'd be the last thing he'd want to blurt out. Though, Connie did have a point, as did Ymir: what were they doing here?

"Don't you find it odd?" Reiner said aloud, looking around. "That we were ordered to stand by in _civilian_ clothing? They even specifically said not to wear our uniforms or to train! We're soldiers, the last time I checked! So why? Why order us to do that?" He crossed his arms on the table and inclined his head to the window, where down below two soldiers could be seen. They looked to be Renes and Nanaba. "But the biggest mystery is our superiors: they're all fully equipped and ready for battle, but this place isn't even on the front lines! We're in secure territory inside the Walls! What are they so prepared for?"

"Bears, maybe?" Connie guessed. "There are bears all around this area."

"And wolves, don't forget those," Sasha added.

"If it's against bears, then guns would be enough, it just doesn't make sense..." Reiner nodded at the two of them. "You two are the only ones still so carefree hold up here. I'd like to see the superiors' reactions when you do slip out, Connie..." There was a thud next to him and everyone looked over to see Sasha with her head on the table. The boredom must have finally gotten to her. She looked dead with her eyes open, until they suddenly burst with life and she sprang up, startling everyone present.

"Guys! I heard a r-rumble! Like heavy footsteps!"

Reiner stared at her gravely. "Sasha, if you're saying that... _Titans_ are somewhere close by, then..." he cast an eye over everyone in the room. "That means Wall Rose has _fallen_."

/-.-.-.-\

Mike Zacharias, the leader in charge, ordered everyone to split up into four separate groups, each tasked with spreading the word to the surrounding villages and settlements that Titans had breached Wall Rose territory. Each squad was comprised of both former trainees and armed Scouts. Out of the four squads; East, West, North and South; the Southern Squad had more people because their other task was to assess the level of damage and enemy numbers since they'd first been spotted coming in that direction.

Jayce wasn't familiar with the area at all, so when Sasha had volunteered to guide the Northern Squad, he'd threw in his lot with her. She was good friends with Fritz, and everytime his name seemed to come up she got all bubbly, so there must have been something more. Whatever their relationship, a friend of Fritz's was a friend of his, and he put his trust in her. That was all he needed; trust.

Up ahead, through a knot of trees, a faint dirt road, visibly trampled by horse hooves, could be seen and he followed Sasha as she changed directions and went down it. It's been three hours since she'd first heard them, yet so far there were no sightings. He hoped there wouldn't be at the next village they stumbled across. Though, watching her confidence inspired him – it reminded him of Fritz in a way. He admired her strong sense of hearing and the fact that she wasn't afraid to do what she wanted, he liked looking at her ponytail bounce around in the wind. It was something beautiful to his eyes...

"You see that?!" Sasha pointed down a ways, the tops of houses could be made out in the distance. No smoke. She looked over her shoulder at the man behind her straight in the eyes. "All that's left now is that village!"

"Alrighty, leave this one to me!" he shouted in response, then frowned. "Is that really the last one...?"

Sasha peered down at her reins. "No..." she clutched them tightly, "there's one other inside the forest: _mine_." Silence as they came upon the village. "I'll take care of mine myself, so this'll be the last official one." She said as the man nodded and peeled off to check the state of the current village they were now riding through. Once he was done, he'd travel back to Castle Midgard and give a report. Sasha watched as he went off and looked behind her. The only one left was Jayce, and she tilted her head, sizing him up. Odd looking short bluish black hair, sort of like a porcupine's, a lean build, stern features. It reminded her of her father, if he'd been born handsome. Jayce stared back and smiled.

"I'm accompanying you to your village." he told her firmly. "If you don't mind. I can't have you going in alone. Friends have to stick together, right?"

"Do... I know you?" she asked, putting a finger on her chin and peering closer. "Ah!" she pointed at him and twirled her finger around. "Y-you're that guy! The one that was with Fritz during Trost! What does he say about me? Anything?!"

"No, nothing really," he turned red from embarrassment and scratched his head. "I don't recall anything-"

"Wait! We're coming up to my village!" Sasha interrupted suddenly, increasing her horse's running speed. "Let's hurry!"

Jayce matched her speed and glanced over; she was deep in thought and he looked around at the surroundings, not planning on bothering her. There was a long line of grass between the path beneath their feet, most likely from wagons, small hills sloped up and down here and there, windmills could be seen, as well as flowers and a scarce amount of trees. Further ahead was what looked to be a small outlying village and he heard Sasha gasp.

"This village is new!" She observed and happened to peer down, her eyes widening.

Jayce followed suit and saw it too; fresh Titan footprints. _They'd made it this far already_?! He scowled and took out one of his blades, quickly searching the area. "I don't see anything!"

"That's because they're headed in the direction of that village!" She looked back at him gravely and stopped her horse abruptly. "Wait here! I'm going to see what's going on!"

He nodded as she sprinted her horse across the field towards the village, still thinking her ponytail was still beautiful even still with dirt and dust now clinging to its strands. After she'd gone out of view, he heard what sounded like a lot of movement to his left and cursed; _his hearing wasn't as good as Sasha's_! Spinning around with his blade at the ready, he was just about to charge a group of civilians, villagers, on horseback as they were approaching swiftly upon him. The one in front with a straw hat and thin beard, who looked to be the leader, glanced around quickly before halting the group.

"You there! Are you one of the soldiers with the military?!" he asked with urgency, not wanting to spare even a second.

"Yes, sir! I am! I'm-!"

"Then come with us!" he cut the boy off and reached over, grabbing his reins and forcibly pulling him in with the group. "We may need your help in the future!"

"But-!"

"We don't have time argue! We have to get moving, _now_!"

Jayce's face fell. _What about Sasha?! I can't just leave her over there_! He felt anger for the first time, the anger of abandoning a friend. "Sir! We can't leave just yet!" he pointed at the village Sasha had run off to. "We have to check this village, someone I know is checking the situation over there and I have to wait until she gets back!"

The man saw the determination in his eyes and nodded. "Young man, you remind me of myself. Very well, we'll wait here for a bit more for your friend and then we're moving on! Are you sure your friend will make it back by then?"

"Yeah, I'm sure she will!"

Though, even as Jayce said the words, he couldn't hide the worry that showed on his face. Looking over towards the village, he prayed that Sasha would make it back on time!

/-.-.-.-\

Sasha sunk the head of the hatchet deep into the nape of the Titan's neck, but again it had no affect whatsoever. Even so, she was going to try again. Another strike. Still nothing. Not giving up, glancing at the face of child, his dead eyes that looked at his mother as she was being currently devoured, what was left of her, she couldn't give up now! Lifting the hatchet for another strike, the sweat on her hands caused it to fly from her grasp and slide across the wooden floor of the hut. She briefly went from it, to the mother, and then to the child. She had to made a decision, and she had to make it fast! She ground her teeth and looked down as she grasped the child's surprising still hand. "Please, forgive me..." she said as she let him out the house, away from his dying mother, and away from the ever hungry Titan that was to be the cause of her death. "What's your name, child?" she asked him, looking down when he didn't respond immediately. "It's... it's going to be ok. Please, trust me..." The look in his eyes was hollow.

"What is?" he asked indifferently and she let go of his head.

"Eh?! Wait, no...! I mean... uhhh!" She bumped into the back of her horse, startling it. "Hey, hey! Easy there!" Unhooking the reins from the post, she was about to pull the horse closer when it suddenly bolted off. She yelled after it frantically and whistled, but it was obvious that the horse wasn't willing to come back and tears started filling her eyes. "You've gotta be joking me! Come back, you stupid horse!" she shouted and the boy tugged on her sleeve.

"Why are you being so polite to me, miss?" he asked and she turned, confused at his attitude in the current situation, seeing the Titan awkwardly squeeze its way out of hut's front door.

"That horse was from the Scouting Legion!" she replied quickly, grabbing his hand. "And that Titan, it just looks to be three meters! Nothing to be too afraid off," she smiled bravely, though it was obvious her lip was quivering in fear. She spotted a hunting bow along with some arrows and snatched them up, then quickly starting running away again with the boy in tow. "Come on, child! Please run, it'll be fine!"

"_Why_?"

"Huh?"

"The others', they all knew my mother had bad legs. Nobody came to help us, they all used the opportunity to run away. And me, I just... did nothing, just watching her... in pain..."

Sasha wasn't listening, only focused on running now, but the boy's attitude still go to her, subconsciously. _What is..._? She started remembering a conversation she had with Ymir and Krista, during their years of training.

_Sasha and Krista were getting buckets of water from a well when Ymir got tired of watching, coming over slowly when the "Potato Girl" was asking Krista to pull up the bucket via the rope pulley._

_ "C'mon, stop it with that already," the tall freckle faced girl said as the two of them looked at her. "I mean that overly polite and stupid way of speaking that you have. Why all the 'please' and 'thank you' when talking with the rest of us?"_

_ "Uh, well, I don't really... I.. I don't..."_

_ "Wait, lemme guess; you're embarrassed of you village's hick dialect, ain't cha?" Ymir asked, and Sasha kept her mouth shut, trying not to make eye contact. "Bull's eye, hah?" Ymir continued, leaning down into her face. "Unexpectedly, you're pretty sensitive, for an idiot. You know nothing but hunting and are afraid of the people, the world, around ya? Ain't cha? I bet your reason for becoming a soldier was something stupid too. Let me guess again, something involving your parents?"_

_ "You're going too far, Ymir." Krista interjected. She grunted and seemed to shrink as Ymir leaned on her head with her arms crossed. _

_ "Say Sasha, do you always wanna live hidin' behind that mask you put on for the sake of others?! That's unbelievably stupid! It's bullshit! You're you! There's nothing wrong with that, so speak as you like dammit!" she huffed and looked away, her speech over._

_ Sasha blinked, blushing a bit. "I.. I'm grateful, Ymir..." she said, looking down at the well._

_ "Hah?"_

_ "I mean 'thanks', Ymir. Thanks. It will t-take some time for me... to get used to speaking like I used to and-"_

_ Ymir was bumped up by Krista and she looked down at the shorty. "What is it? Still got a problem?"_

_ "Sasha is still not her true self! Even if she uses her home dialect! There are many ways of thinking are there are people in the world! Sasha, just choose the words you want to when you want to speak!"_

_ "Smooth words makes for smooth ways, eh..." Ymir commented, shrugging. "Well, now that I think about it, even if you change the way you're speaking, you'll still be the same annoying pest."_

_ "Hey! Not everyone is as blunt and inconsiderate as you are, Ymir!" Krista shouted and Sasha started to laugh._

_ "Who do you think you're laughin' at, hah?" Ymir growled._

_ "Ah, I'm sorry...! It's just...!"_

_ Why? Why such an insignificant memory at a time like this? Everyday life..._ Sasha looked back at the Titan, then down at the boy and smiled. Insignificant memories, precious memories. "Hey, listen to me for a bit. You see that road? Run down it; it's alright if you're weak, 'cause they'll be someone to come to your rescue." _Like when Fritz came to mine_. "Maybe, maybe you won't meet them right away, but don't give up and just keep running until you do!" She let go of his hand and pushed him forward, turning to face the Titan with the bow draw and an arrow strung. "Get going!" She aimed for the center of its face, pulling the arrow back, the bowstring tensing. "Run already, will ya?!" The boy fled out of the corner of her eye and she smiled again, releasing the arrow...

/-.-.-.-\

"Her horse came back, but we've waited long enough, son," the man said, frowning. "We have to leave now or else..."

"Wait! I see something!" A kid, a boy, his clothing torn and dirty, was running at full speed towards them.

"Help! There's a miss who's still back there! She needs help!" he shouted as he came halfway to them and Jayce's mind immediately went to one thing: saving Sasha. He kicked his horse into action and the man motioned for one of the group to take the boy.

"You can't go in there alone! What if those monsters are-"

"I don't care! I have to save her!" Jayce shouted back, charging forward with Sasha's horse. "Hang in there, Sasha, I'm coming!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, speeding away...

The man's eyes went wide and he rounded up his group, leading them into the woods alongside the path, headed in the same direction as Jayce was.

/-.-.-.-\

Sasha rammed her last arrow into the Titan's eye and the shaft snapped in half as it grabbed her by the waist and started to squeeze. She tried to wiggle free but its grasp was tight and she couldn't. It was impossible. She rammed the half she still held in her hand into its other eye, but that was all she could do. Even without its eyes, its mouth was still intact, it could still devour her. At least I got the boy motivated, she thought, looking away as its mouth opened. Her death was going to be a long one, she knew, given the size of its mouth. A quicker one would have been nice...

"Sasha!" a voice yelled and she looked up just in time to see Jayce come down from above and slash the nape of the Titan's neck. She fell from its limp grasp onto ground with a plop and he was over her a second later, smiling down. "I told you, I'm not leaving you to do this thing alone!" Helping her to her feet, he looked over near a wooded area atop a rocky slope and her eyes followed his.

"Sasha?!" the bearded man in the straw hat exclaimed, the boy she'd saved riding with the rider next to him.

"Dad?!" she yelled back in amazement and Jayce handed her the reins to her horse, just as surprised as she was.

"_Dad...?_" he looked at her dumbstruck.

"We'll explain later, son! The two of you come with us! We ain't got no time to be standin' around!"

"Come on!" Sasha said, saddling her horse as Jayce did the same. She smiled and winked.

The two of them fell in line next to Sasha's dad, who was beaming proudly. Sasha glanced back at the boy and smiled as her dad started to speak. "We've been goin' round givin' spare horses to people in the area and that kid told us someone was over here, and that boy there," he motioned at Jayce, "he went charging to your rescue! I never woulda' imagined it was you until he shouted your name like hellfire! Ya took on that Titan to save the kid?"

"Yeah, but I didn't... I almost..."

"Sasha," her father ruffled her brown hair. "You've become a splendid person..."

"Dad..."

"And son, thanks for savin' my daughter!"

Jayce nodded, saluting. Fritz was rubbing off on him, it seemed. "Anything for my friends!" Sasha's father smiled and patted him on the back.

Sasha laughed and smiled at Jayce, causing him to blush. "Jayce, I owe you one, and dad..." she turned to her father with a tear in her eye. "_I'm home._"

Jayce couldn't stop blushing, even if all she did was thank him. Her father noticed, laughed, and patted him on the back again. "Son! You'd make a good husband for my Sasha here! Whadda ya say?"

Sasha turned red. "Dad!"

"I... I... uhhh..." Jayce was speechless, his face as red as a tomato. He glanced over at Sasha who blushed and looked away. "Can I g-get back to you on that...?" he answered shyly, looking down at his reins.

Sasha father laughed again. "I like you son, you remind me of myself all the more! Hah!"

Jayce smiled, looking at the scenery. He didn't know what lied ahead for them now, but he was glad to be spending that time with Sasha. He'd wanted to say_ yes_.

/-.-.-.-\

The two squads who'd run along the Wall for any sign of a breach had found none, and thus, were inclined to rest – having found an abandoned castle nearby.

The castle's name was Utgard.

They waited through the night, some fearful of the Titans outside in the dark, while others like Ymir were just bored out of their wits at having nothing to do. Grabbing a candle and a match, she made her way to one of the high towers, the light dim enough to see without the need of a light source. Though, as soon as she got to the top, darkness set in and she was forced to light the candle, its small light illuminating the round closed in space around her, save for window, which faced outward; opposite her left. Not worried that such an insignificant candle would give their position away, the Titans being stupid, she went over to a stack of wooden crates in the corner.

The crates were caked in dust, not having been opened in what seemed like decades, which to her meant they were valuable. Nobody's touched them. Cracking open the lid of the nearest one, she looked down briefly then glanced back at the stairwell. No one had followed her, that was good. Setting the candle down, positioning it so she'd have enough light to see the contents of the crate, she stuck her hand down and rummaged through it. Her hand scraped over something metallic, what felt to be a round cylinder; a can of some sort. Footsteps alerted her hearing to someone's presence and she spun around; candle in hand.

"Ymir, what are you doing up here?" It was Reiner, the noisy bastard.

"Oh, it's just you Reiner. Whatca want? Are you speaking up with dirty intentions?" she asked playfully.

"What a shocker, I didn't think I looked like a guy who'd be interested in girls," he faintly smiled and closed the door behind him. "By the way, you don't look like you'd be the type of girl to be interested in the opposite sex either."

"Really now?" Ymir smirked, turning back to rummaging through the crate. It didn't matter if Reiner was here, he was harmless to her. For all she knew, he was a homosexual and didn't seem the type to bother others without good reason. "I've been searching for something to fill me up, since this may be our last dinner and all..."

"Back then, all that stuff you said about Connie's village, you said it so he'd drop the subject, right? I want you to keep that up so he doesn't unnecessarily worry about his family and get distracted. It could mean the difference between life and-"

"Do I look like I care? Oh look here, I found something!" It was the can from earlier. She'd had her hand on it the whole time, waiting for him to leave. Now, there was no use hiding what she'd found, since it was _obvious_ the noisy bastard wasn't going to go quietly. "This'll do, though I can't say I'm all that fond of herring." The letters that spelled out its contents, she knew them in a heartbeat. A language no longer used, eons forgotten.

"There more in there?" Reiner asked, holding out his hand. "Can I see that one?"

Ymir stared for a second at the lettering, debating whether to let him see it. Instinct told her not to, but right now, as she was, her common courtesy was stronger. _Must be Krista's influence_, she thought, handing it over. "Here, don't drool on it."

"Canned food, huh?" Reiner said. He was suddenly quiet. Ymir could feel him tense up, seeing his fist clench and unclench out the corner of her eye. "These... _characters_. I can't read them _at all_. Do they really say 'herring'?" He looked down at her, suspicion creating a mask over his face. "But you, Ymir, sure can read these no problem, huh..." His eyes widened when he say the look in her eyes. They didn't look... _human_... as if some monster were behind them, glaring knowingly at him.

"Everyone! Get to the roof this instant!" Their conversation was cut short.

/-.-.-.-\

Atop the roof, the moon had appeared through the clouds and shone on the grass, revealing Titans. Dozens of them. All converging on Castle Utgard.

"How can they still move?!" Connie exclaimed. "The sun isn't even up yet! Hey! Look over there!" He pointed at a giant ape looking thing in the distance. "Huge, what is that thing? A Titan, but it looks more like a beast, right?" Nobody answered, all of them focused on its slow movements, like a sloth. "It's heading for the Wall!"

The foundation shook and everyone braced themselves, the Titans had broken down the front entrance!

"You fuckers!" Gerger shouted and took out his coiled blades. "Don't mess with us, dammit! I still have to drink that wine I left sitting out!"

Nanaba turned to Connie and the rest, motioned at her own blades. "You guys stay back, we'll take care of things from here."

"Try and prevent them from getting further inside! Barricades, use them! If it's too much, run back to this rooftop. I can't guarantee we'll be able to save all of you, since we may not be able to even save ourselves, but remember this one thing: keeping fighting even if all the bones in your body are broken! Don't give them any chances!" Renes added as the three other members of the Scouting Legion went down to meet the enemy, shouting battlecrys. "Got it?!"

"Right!" They said in unison, moving to do as ordered.

Ymir purposely stood in front of Krista as they went single file down the steps, looking down at Reiner who was busy grabbing a torch. _How much does he know_? she wondered as he told them he'd go on ahead and check the first door, telling them to find things to make a barricade with. Stopping for a moment, she watched as he went out of sight. When Reiner called back up for support, Connie was already grabbing a cannon and wheeling it down. He shouted for her and Krista to help him, since Bertolt had went ahead.

Together, the three of them rolled it down the stairwell until they came to the first door, where the two boys were feeding off a Titan that had managed to smash its hands through the wood, swiping blindly.

"Reiner, Bertolt!" Connie shouted down and the two of them spun with shocked expressions.

"Hey, is that a cannon?!"

"What about gunpowder? Any cannonballs?!"

"We got none of that stuff, so we'll just give you the whole thing! Outta' the way!"

They pushed it down the remainder of stairwell as Reiner and Bertolt go clear, the heavy cannon crushing both door and Titan flat, pinning the remains to the floor.

"Looks like it worked..." Reiner said, panting heavily.

"Well now what? All I found was this knife..." Connie said, waving it.

Reiner grabbed a piece of wood and put it in front of the cannon. "Just use whatever you can! Keep finding- Connie, look out behind you!"

A Titan had climbed through the window right behind him, about to rip his head off when Reiner slammed into it with his shoulder.

"No, you don't, you-!" The Titan bit down on the flesh of his arm and he screamed out in agony. Lifting it over his head, he slowly approached the window.

"Reiner, what are you doing?! Don't tell me you're planning on jumping out the window with it?!"

"What other choice do I have?!" he grunted back, placing a foot onto the windowsill.

"Wait!" Connie ran up and sliced the Titan's jaw muscles. "Just cut the jaw and your hand is free!"

Sure enough, the Titan was no longer biting down on his arm and Bertolt pulled Reiner back as Ymir came up to kick it out the window.

They took the rest of their precious few minutes of time to barricade the rest of the door, and Connie threw a plank of wood down.

"What are we gonna do when they break through again?! There's no way we'll get that lucky this time!"

"Agreed." Bertolt added. "Though, right now, we need to worry about Reiner's wound," he said as Krista was applying water to clean out the infection, if there was one.

"Ouch!"

"S-sorry! The bone is fractured, I think, by the look of it..." she said, grabbing two flat pieces of wood. "Ok, I have the brace, but now we need something to hold it all together. Ah, I know!" Ripping the end of her clothing, she started wrapping it around his bite wound. "I'm afraid this is all I can do, it's dirty and... I'm sorry, but-"

"Don't be. Thank you..."

"Ok there Reiner?" Connie asked.

"Yeah, more or less..."

Ymir watched Krista as she continued to wrap the wound, then came up with an idea of her own. She slammed her fists together at such a great idea. She help up her finger, a scrape visibly bleeding. "Hey, Krista... I cut my finger too, can you patch this up as well?"

"Huh? It's just a scratch. Just spit on it and you'll be good to go." Connie interjected, looking at the scrape.

_Shut the fuck up, you bald headed midget_! Ymir glared at him as he looked back at Reiner.

"I'm sorry about earlier, Reiner, I..." he chuckled. "It seems like all I ever do is get saved by you, huh? Come to think of, you saved me from Annie too, didn't you? I gotta return the favor one of these days..."

"It's nothing, forget it. I'm a soldier, so I do what I'm supposed to, nothing more."

A loud rumble was heard above, bits of stone falling from the ceiling. They rushed up to see what had happened: Nanaba and Gerger were kneeling over the crushed corpses of Renes and Henning.

"What the hell happened?!" Connie exclaimed.

"Both of them died instantly," Gerger explained, pointing over at the Wall. "A boulder, a boulder came flying from the direction of the Wall. It crushed them..."

"Oh no..." Krista said, putting a hand over her mouth.

"The direction of the Wall?" Ymir said aloud, as she, Reiner, and Bertolt looked in its direction.

"It must be that beast like Titan we saw earlier!" Connie guessed. "Whoa!" He pointed over the ledge near the woods, where tons of Titans were pouring out. "There's more than twice as many as the first time!"

"Showing up at this time, almost like they were following a plan," Nanaba said, getting to her feet. "It's almost like they're toying with us and that they have been, right from the beginning..."

"Rookies! Stay here! We'll get as many of them as we can!" Gerger shouted.

"We'll buy you guys some time!" Nanaba said as Gerger jumped down. "Even it's only so you don't die for a few minutes more!" She clenched her teeth and smiled sadly at them. "It's the best we can give you now..."

The former trainees watched the two of them as they met the Titans again, for what most likely was, the last time...


	18. A Sincere Wish

**Chapter Eighteen：A Sincere Wish**

As Ymir watched the two of them risking their lives for their sakes, by the skins of their teeth, she remembered something she'd thought she'd forgotten, years ago:

Crawling along the cold ground, she could feel the wetness of the leftover snow as it soaked into her loose fitting clothing. Heaving, she curled in a fetal position and lied there, still and unmoving. She couldn't go on; the voices still rang in her ears, the images still flashed in her mind, the blood still licked her tongue. It was torturous – she couldn't take it anymore. Reaching a few fingers down her throat, she forced herself to gag and spit; vomiting. She wanted the taste to go away, she wanted the taste of the blood and the flesh to go away. It wouldn't. _I don't want to feel those things again, I don't want it to happen again, I don't want to lose myself again! _The girl thought as she coughed and wiped her saliva covered fingertips into a pile of watery snow, clawing her nails into the dirt underneath and digging. _I never want to be alone anymore, I never want to feel so afraid anymore, I never want to go back to the way I was anymore! _Recent images flashed through her mind and she curled even tighter into a ball – as if doing so would comfort her in some way and make the images go away. Make them disappear. They wouldn't. The screams, the feeling of the flesh, the cracking sounds, the taste of the blood. It was all coming back to her...

_Running through the decimated village, burning in ruins with smoke billowing to the sky, she stopped at its edge, peering out into the distance. Sitting on her shorter back legs, she dug her claw like hands into the ground. She had seen them far away: four dark specks against the sun. Her prey. Swinging forward on her elongated arms, she used the force and momentum to propel herself forward and jump__ed__ into the air. Unkempt dark hair blowing __away from__ her face, she reached an incredible speed __as she fl__ew__ – slowly coming closer to the dark specks, which were now the outlines of four people. As she started to advance slowly, panting in hunger and anticipation at catching up to her prey, she let out a low growl – which caused one of them to turn around __at the noise__. Yelping, the figure started running at its full speed; its companions left in confusion at the sudden burst of energy. That was until they glanced back themselves. Getting closer, she increased her pace until it became a hobbled run and then long strides supported by her front arms. __The outlines became more distinguished as they now looked to be four young boys all running for their lives __from__ her wake. The chase was on._

She didn't want to remember anymore. The images pounded her mind as she tried to rise from her position on the ground. The pain, it was too much; she collapsed. Lying on her stomach, dampness soaking deeper into the fabric of her clothes, she buried her face into the dirt, as if she could somehow suffocate the images. Everything was dark as she tasted dirt and snow – but she knew she couldn't just lie there forever. She had to get up, she had to keep moving. _I can't stop, I have to get going._ _Find shelter._ She thought as she pushed herself up by the arms, gazing down at the imprint of her face in the ground. She couldn't even bear to look at a crude imprint and threw up – heaving and gagging as she slammed a fist down.

_Weight. She had caught one of her prey by the back of its clothing. Lifting it up, the boy flailing and crying, she looked into the terrified eyes of the other three as they watched. One of them was shouting something, but she couldn't make out the words; it was all just garbled noise to her. __It didn't register in her brain, as__s__he cared about nothing else at the moment, only what was hanging right in front of her jaws. Hearing more garbled protests, she tilted her head to the sky and opened her mouth – the boy falling rapidly to her. His garbled screams, his yelling to his friends to forget him and run – she didn't hear any of it as she chomped down on tissue and bone. Blood sprayed down her throat as his legs came free; his screams intensified. The feeling of the flesh as she bit further up his legs, to his waist; the cracking sounds as his pelvis was pulverized from the pressure; the taste of the blood as she ripped into his intestines and pulled out his stomach. It was all one motion as she continued to chomp and chew, swallow and spit. After a few more bites, the screaming stopped, but the blood continued. Something round, heavy, fell out of the side of her mouth and she looked down to see what it was: a sort of oval shaped object with holes – eyes that looked up at her in horror and fear. Not worrying about the scrapes, she turned her attention to the others, taking a step forward and crushing the oval shaped object under one __of__ her back legs. Advancing slowly, savoring the fear and the chase, she watched the other three as they continued to flee. A curiosity formed as she watched and something, __something__ warm, started to grow inside her. That was when the howling began._

The pain. It was still there as she stumbled through scrubs and bushes, scratching up her legs and tearing her clothes on the thorns. The pain. It was still there as she continued to follow a path that was still partially visible – it was still there. That could also mean the place it led to was also still standing! That one thought is what kept her going; _s__helter_. A warm place. She wasn't going to give up and die yet. Clearing through more brush – she finally came to it: a church. From the outside, it looked relatively intact and the steps leading to its front doors weren't that badly weathered. Crawling on her hands up the steps – her strength quickly fading – she weakly pushed on one of the doors and it creaked as she eased herself inside. Glancing around, there was a long row of wooden pews on either side; up and down the long, and large, room. There were statues and crosses adorning the ledges along the walls, some broken and some not. The ceiling was very high up – all the windows were also missing their stained glass décor. At the very front was a lone stand, and behind it, an altar. There were two large statues flanking both sides of the altar, and as she walked closer, she took note that they were something she had forgotten long ago. Something she couldn't seem to remember clearly; the depiction of what it was. What they were called. Using the altar as a support for her weary limps, she paused to catch her breath before looking up at one of the statues. Touching its dusty plaque that was now rusted and cracked, it was cold to the touch and she guessed that the church had to be very old; perhaps as much as sixty years. Wiping away more of the dust and sniffling as the particles came in contact with her nose – she covered her mouth and kept wiping until small dark shapes started to appear. The dark shapes, once black in color but now worn until they were practically invisible – appeared to be, if her memory served her correctly, _words_. Stepping back to get a better look, as well as to get away from the multitudes of dust, she inclined her head, trying to sound out the word in her head. _A... an..._ she struggled to remember the language that the letters were written in and, in her concentration, opened her mouth for the first time in years to speak.

"_...gel._ _An... gel._ Angel." Looking up at the statue itself, she now had a name to a face: it was called an angel. It was the statue of an angel. Going back down to the plaque, she ran her fingers across the word and as her fingers reached the final letter, she noticed more indents in the metal. _More words_. They were smaller in comparison and there were a lot of them this time. It hurt just to look at them for more than a few seconds. Not wanting to feel anymore pain, she pushed herself from the altar and crouched beside the stand – it was hollow in the back and the perfect place to curl up in and sleep. Yawning, she scrunched herself into the space and put her knees up against her chest, resting her chin on top of her hands. It wasn't the warmest place – it was still cold, but at least it was better than outside. She also didn't feel anymore of the pain – it had receded for the time being, and that thought alone took the rest of the fight out of her as her eyelids felt heavy for the first time in what's felt like ages...

/-.-.-.-\

"Titans got them..." Connie said, sinking down. Krista grabbed a stone and threw it down, and Ymir grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Knock it off, Krista. There tower is barely holding up as is. Any more, and it'll just come crumbling down. Then we'd all be as good as dead..."

"B-but! In our place, they've-!"

"Shit! Shit! Shit! _Shit_!" Connie repeated, punching the ledge. "Isn't there something we can do?! At this point, the tower'll just collapse and we'll get eaten!" Rubbing his now bruised hand, he stared at the floor of the roof. "At least... I wanted my death to have some meaning, ya know? Some _purpose_..."

Purpose. Ymir glanced over at him, all hope gone from his eyes. _A meaning..._

/-.-.-.-\

_ "Words have meaning, but names have power. They are undying labels, etched on the sins of our past behaviors."_

A few days and nights had passed since she'd first come to shelter inside the confines of the church, and in that time she had gathered twigs and broken branches from the surrounding area to build a fire. Everytime she would pass by the statue of the angel, she'd try to decipher the other words on the plaque – but she couldn't recall some of the letters that made them up. Now, forgotten practices and rituals came back to her; remembering more and more as time went. This was how she had finally come to make out the rest of the words and even though she didn't quite get what the phrase really meant, she had her own interpretation to go by. That was all she needed, in the end.

"Names are your past and your future," she said to herself one night, gazing up at distant stars through the trees. Barren trees that had lost their youthfulness and color; skinny and pathetic things that she thought had no purpose other than to feed the small firepit she'd setup outside. A big fire would attract too much attention and there were also no easily accessible water sources near the church, so if it grew out of control she wouldn't be able to keep it down. She'd have to let it burn, and with it, her only viable option for shelter. Thus, a small fire was best. "A name represents who and what you are, it is your identity to the rest of the world." She couldn't remember hers. In fact, she couldn't seem to remember a lot about herself; her past. What she was, where she was from. As with the letters, words, and phrases that slowly came back to her, she guessed that, in time, the rest of her memories would come flooding back to her. All in due time.

Now, huddling closer to the fire she'd built for herself, its heat warming her chilled bones and frosted skin, she looked into its heart – watching as the flames licked the air and scorched the wood it needed to fuel its life. Crackling, wisps of light danced into the sky as ashes shimmied to the ground. There were still patches of snow here and there, but the season was changing into a warmer climate and, soon, the grass would sprout and the sun would shine brighter than ever before. She recalled that that time would be called Spring, but nothing more than that. Why had she only remembered that and nothing else? As she looked into the fire, she wondered why that was. That was when it came back from the depths of her own heart; the pain. The more she tried to forcibly remember, the more it hurt. The back of her brain was where it hurt the most and she squeezed the back of her head, as if doing so would stop the pain from continuing. After a time, it receded and she sighed in relief, falling onto her back. Just lying there, it was a small comfort, gazing up at the stars. They were so small and distant – she couldn't believe how bright they were despite this. It was a mystery to her, just like her past.

"The power in a name," she whispered, reaching out to the brightest star. "What... is my name?" she asked, as if the star would answer her question as she closed her outstretched hand into a fist, capturing the star. It was then that sleep started to take her again. Not wanting to fall asleep outside, she put out her fire by kicking the logs around and scattering the ashes, then lumbered lazily inside the church once again to where the stand was located. She glanced at the angel statue as soon as she passed it and yawned – not thinking anything more of it as she curled up in her usual position inside the hollowed out space of the stand. That was her dreams began...

_Running, running as fast as humanly possible. Running away. She was running away from something, but what? The world around her was a sea of grass – nothing but grass that stretched for miles and miles. A sea of green, yellows, and browns. Health__y__ grass, weathered grass, dead grass. All in one vast togetherness, and there she was, just running in its midst; bu__t__ why? __A look behind revealed the reason: she was being chased, by a monster with elongated arms and short legs with unkempt dark hair. The first thing she felt was terror and she wanted to keep running, but her legs wouldn't carry her anymore. Fatigue had set in where willpower was gone – the terror had already spread to her feet, slowing her down. Stumbling, she fell face first into the ground, tasting dirt as she coughed and spat. Worms and other creatures mingled together in the dew as the ground start shaking. It was closing in. She tried to rise, desperately tried, but her limps wouldn't respond and she was helpless. Lying on the ground, she was forced to listen to the approaching monster as it kept getting closer and closer, until finally, it was upon her. Its shadow cast over her prone form, she could do nothing as it picked her up b__y __the cloth of her __shirt__, its claw like hands hooking into the skin of her back. Feeling blood starting to pool at the wounds, she was silent with fright as it sniffed and hoisted her up into the air. Dangling above the sea of grass, no more was it full of greens and yellows – only brown. The color of death. She was going to die. __Even now, she could feel herself falling into its jaws and she only looked to the sky – searching for the stars that weren't there._

_ The pain. Its teeth sunk into her legs just below the knees and bit through tissue, muscle, and bone as she gasped. The sensation of her blood as it continued to pump down her legs – even though they were now gone. Blood draining, mind getting lighter, eyes getting heavier. The neverending pain. Its teeth ripped into her thighs and tore skin – the cracking sounds. The unbearable pain. The monster chomp__ing__ down on her intestines, pulling them out like sausage links and causing her to vomit in her mouth. Vomit stomach acid mixed with blood; sp__i__t__ting__ and cough__ing__ it out, the juices spilling down her chin. The unrelenting pain. The pain as her rib cage was being crushed and her lungs were squeezed; her breathing intensified as she tried to suck in more air. Her heart was about to burst – she could already feel the pressure as the rest of her blood clotted and formed into one red pasty mass. The undying pain. Her blood, her bones, her muscles, her tissue, her flesh. The sounds: cracking, splintering, breaking; the sensations; squeezing, tearing, mincing. Suffocating. She didn't want to feel anymore pain. __Her arms pushed on its mouth as she tried to pull to no avail.__ As she felt her heart ready to __explode__, she let all the things she felt come forth out __of__ her mouth through a scream that died in her throat. A hoarse laugh at her fate; she couldn't even scream. Mucus fell from her nose and tears from her eyes as she felt her head getting lighter and lighter; the world gr__o__w__ing__ dark__er__. She opened her mouth for one last __silent and __undying scream._

Waking with a jolt, she slammed her head into the top of the stand and knocked it over. As it crashed to the ground, she retreated to the altar, sweating profusely and white with fright._ The monster had been her! The monster was her! She was a monster! _Digging her nails into the sides of her head, she shook it violently, trying to expel the monster from her mind. She didn't want to go back to the way she was, she didn't want to be that way again. Slamming her head against the stone of the altar, she breathed heavily as she bowed her head and stared down at her shaking hands. They turned into claws and she shook her head, the illusion disappearing. They were normal hands – cut and scrapped, but normal, _human_, hands. Sighing with relief, she winced as she touched the back of her head. Something wet was there and upon looking at the fingers that had touched it – it was red. Blood. The impact had caused her to bleed. She laughed. At least she wasn't dead. At least she wasn't going to turn back into the way she was; a monster. Wiping bloody fingers on her shirt, she smiled as warm tears welled at the corners of her eyes. She wanted to change; she wanted the sins of her past to wash away with her tears. She clenched one of her hands into a fist at her side – _she __was going__ to change_. _No matter what_.

/-.-.-.-\

"Me too, I don't want to die without fighting. I wish I had some kind of weapon... that we all have something to fight with. Then, we could all die together."

Ymir looked over at her short friend, stunned. "Krista, how can you still be sprouting that _bullshit_? Don't you dare look at our superiors' deaths that way! They didn't fucking die so you could use their deaths as a damn convenient excuse to commit suicide!"

Krista put her back to the ledge. "Y-y-you're mistaken, I never intented to-!"

"You're not like Connie, or our superiors'! I'd know! It's not like you really want _not_ to die, you always think in what ways you _could_ die so you can get praised for it. Am I wrong?"

"It's not like that at all!"

"Krista! You may have forgotten, but try and remember, that time in the snowy mountains, with Dazz..."

/-.-.-.-\

Her name. She would have to remember it, one way or another, to change who she was in past. That was her current focus, and as she practiced throwing rocks at a tree to improve her motor skills and aim, she was determined to remember. There was no other choice. Stretching her tired arms and walking to the tree she had been using for target practice, she inspected how much of the bark she'd managed to chip off. Today she had gotten a fair amount and couldn't help but smirk – her aim was top notch, but one look at the nicks on the sides of the tree caused a scowl to form. Maybe she could still use more improvement after all. Kicking the base of the tree, she cursed and skulked back to where her firepit was – watching the last of its embers die.

Morning had passed with her doing nothing in particular and she was quickly growing tired of sheltering at an abandoned church. Looking to the church now, she wondered what religion had been worshiped behind its doors, but didn't really care in the end. Religion was just a comfort for fools and the needy – she wasn't either one of those. Letting out an exasperated sigh, she kicked the ashes around her firepit and scattered them; no matter what her opinion, she still needed this church to survive for the time being and couldn't deny the fact. The pain from her memory loss was appearing less and less as the days went by, but as a result when it _did_ come back, it was worse that the last time. A prickle turned into a poke, a poke turned into a piercing, and a piercing turned into a stab; as if the back of her mind was being cut open with a knife. All she could do when that happened was focus on something else and try to ignore it the best she possibly could until it subsided. Mostly, she'd been exercising to cope with it – doing things such as flexing her fingers or punching the air repeatedly. It also helped her relax, and sometimes, when it got really painful, she'd go at trees until her knuckles bleed and arms ached. Luckily, so far that has only happened a few times, and each time, her wounds would heal in little to no time at all; so there was really nothing for her to worry about.

Each day and night, bits of her past would come back to her and she could feel herself getting closer to the center of it all; the lock on her memories. As she remembered more and more, she could do more and more tasks self sufficiently. Other hands weren't needed besides the two she owned. She hadn't seen another person since she'd come to the church, now that she thought about it, and wondered why that was as she was now inside, eyeing one of the many crosses that adorned the ledges on either side of the room. Even if it was abandoned, surely _somebody_ would come and investigate, right? Though, as more and more time went, she began to think that wouldn't be the case. She'd have to venture out by herself and hope to stumble upon another person – if there were any left at all in the surrounding area. _It's all too much of a bother_. She thought to herself as she walked toward the center of the room and gazed up at the ceiling. It was such a bare and ugly ceiling – the paint long since peeled off, leaving the stone naked and exposed.

"No wonder this place was abandoned," she remarked outloud. Sticking a middle finger to the sky, it were as if she was telling whatever God that was watching to fuck off. "It's a piece of _shit_." Clicking her tongue, she spat her disgust for everything about the church, and herself, _her past_, onto the dirty floor where the saliva mixed with sixty odd some years of neglect. _Ruin_. She was ready to move on and forget it all. She needed to change who she was and wasn't going to accomplish anything by staying. Moving to the angel statue, she drew her hand across its surface; she'd come back here, if for nothing else but the statue. Stepping back to admire it in full, the sculpting wasn't half bad, she'd have to admit. One could say it was her guardian angel. _This isn't the time to be sentimental_. She mused, turning back to the outside. It was almost noon time and if she was going to leave this place in a few days – she'd have to prepare and map out the surroundings. Then again, looking down to her hands, she could always use _that_ side of her. The side she wanted to forget. The side she wanted to change. Biting down on her bottom lip, she balled her hands into fists; _no, she wouldn't_. A drop of blood started welling at the cut in her lip. Teeth grinding harder, the drop of blood trickled down her chin; she could do this without that power. It wasn't a necessity. Wiping away the blood, she continued her way outside to get to work.

Now, it was later in the day, and she had just gotten back from her mapping and foraging. For starters, she had found berries and mushrooms along the places she'd checked and deemed them edible after watching various small animals eat them and not get sick afterwards. Of her mapping – there was a path she hadn't seen before that led away from the church, perhaps in the direction of civilization. At that moment, the pain came back and she slumped down in one of the pews, bowing her head partially from exhaustion and partly from the pain itself. Something else was coming back to her...

_A wall. A massive wall that stretched for miles as far as the eye could see. Behind it – buildings, people; a town. Something was wrong, though, as the buildings were burning and the people were running in fear. Away from the wall. Away from her. There were, what seemed to be, the sounds of gunfire and smoke and as her vision shifted to the source – it was cannonfire. Multiple cannons, all firing around her position as __she__ swung along the sides of rooftops and buildings by her claw like hands. Her destination was the wall beyond that, and as another one of the monsters like her smashed the gate to that wall – it was within reach. As she and her like kin swarmed into the new area, they were met with more resistance, more cannonfire. More death. There were forms swinging by wires and brandishing weapons in their __tiny looking__ hands. Jumping at a few of them, __hearing__ their garbled screams as __their lives were silenced__, she realized that they were people. Soldiers. Her vision shifted yet again, this time to a third layer of defense – another wall. _

Kicking the pew in front of her, she reeled back from the memory. The first wall – it was called something. Something with the letter _M_; and a glance at the angel jolted her thinking process: it was called Wall Maria. The third layer of defense – Wall Rose, and beyond that, there was Wall Sina. She remembered them. Humanity's defensive walls. Agony shot through her skull again as she contemplated more; as she _remembered_ more.

Standing in an open field, outside of a decimated village, she looked upon a gathering of monsters like herself. They were all just standing there, watching her every move. Then, out of nowhere, they started to _speak_. Weak and pathetic attempts at communicating their thoughts into words – but she could make out the words, or rather, the word, that was being spoken to her. It immediately caused her to clutch the sides of her head in agony – the pain was the worst she'd ever experienced thus far. Eyes watering as she got up from her seat and tossed her head back and forth in a daze – getting closer and closer to the statue of the angel. The word was repeated over and over and _over_ again and it just wouldn't stop. She wanted it to _stop_. Hands shaking, she concentrated all thoughts on that one thing and bit down hard on her thumb, drawing blood. Turning into the very thing she didn't want to see anymore, she smashed the stand and altar to pieces in her rage and stopped suddenly at the statue. Looking at it, tilting her head, she reared back as she realized what she was doing. _This wasn't what she wanted_. Turning away from the statue, she stumbled on her back legs as if to run away. It was then that she fell forward and lost consciousness; the world growing darker once again.

Awhile later, her body felt incredibly hot as she slowly rose to her feet and looked around. Steam was billowing from the floor as all around her form was the skeleton of _something_ lying there. Something that she had been just a few hours before. Spinning around to the scene behind her, she let out a small laugh as she stared absentmindedly at an even more ruined church. Casting her eyes over the statue of the angel, she didn't give it a second thought as she stumbled outside into the moonlight. She'd have to start her trip early, it seemed. Laughing even louder now, she used a nearby tree to support herself and leaned against it. Staring into the now dead firepit, she knew what it was. What she had been waiting and searching for up until now: _her name_.

Still gazing into the ashes and charred wood, she rubbed her healed thumb and smiled sadly to herself. Mouthing the word – she laughed to herself once again. _Ymir._

/-.-.-.-\

_ "__Krista. _I want you to reclaim your name and live back under it," Ymir said, leaning into her face. "Connie, give me that knife."

"Here."

She took it and patted him on his bald head. "Thanks."

"What do you need it for?"

"_Fighting_. It's dawn..." she said, the sun peeking out from the clouds, replacing the moon.

"Hey," Reiner said, reaching for her. "Ymir, what are you trying to do?"

Ymir stepped closer to the ledge, looking down. "I'm not so sure myself," she replied, smiling. "Krista, I have no right to tell you how to live, so consider this my wish: live with your head held high, there's always a spot for a second chance..." Moving back a bit, she started to sprint towards the ledge as Krista yelled at her to stop. She ignored her friend's cries, leaping off the tower as Krista reached out after her.

_Krista. I used to be like that too, ya know? Thinking that it'd be better if I'd never been born._ Cutting the palm of her hand with the knife, she fell faster into the Titan horde. _I was hated, hated for the simple fact that I existed in this world, and you know what? I died. I died for the happiness of many people; a great many people_. She concentrated all of her thoughts into destroying the Titans that were threatening the tower. Threatening Krista. _But, there was one thing that I wished for... that I wished for will all my heart._ She disappeared in a flash of light, so bright that it was blinding – as hot as the sun itself. _It's that, if I'd ever been given a second chance in life, I wanna live only for myself. That was... _Emerging from the light was a medium sized Titan with unkempt long black hair, claws instead of hands and strong, short legs.

_My sincere wish._


	19. Ground Zero

**Chapter Nineteen: Ground Zero**

_"Stop, you little brat!" The shop owner shouted at the top of his lungs, running out of his expensively furnished store after the thief. His husky body couldn't take the physical exertion that he was pushing on his flabby limbs and in no time was panting heavily as he continued to pursue the thief down the street. The thief ducked into an alleyway and he paused to catch his breath – heaving as he leaned against a wall. Peering around the corner, the alley was dark and he couldn't see anything in the moonlight. Not thinking the thief would last long, he huffed his disgust and limped back to his shop; content that he could get a new shipment of the item the thief had stolen faster than you could say "money". _

_ Ymir pulled her hood closer over her head as she hastily walked down the alleyway, not looking back. This is too easy. She thought to herself as she smirked and looked down at the trinket wrapped in cloth between her cupped hands. Frowning, she watched as a rat scurried by her foot and looked at the trinket again. This is too boring – I didn't come here for this bullshit. "Piece of junk," she remarked, tossing the trinket and scowling. It impacted with the wall and landed with a thud – shattering into a million pieces and scattering in just as many directions. _

_ "If you weren't going to keep that, you should have given it to us." a voice said behind and she spun around, staring into the eyes of a scruffy looking brute. He had a gang of three others flanking him; two on the right and one on the left. They looked as unkempt and poor as he did. _

_ Ymir slide a hand into her pocket, glancing between the four of them. "Oh? What would you lot have done with it?" She couldn't take any chances, and took a step backward to increase the distance between them, fingers grasping one of the stones she used for self defense. "Sold it?"_

_ The man smiled. "Why, yes, that's exactly what we would have done, if only..." he shrugged and hefted a dagger in one of his hands as he motioned for one of his lackeys to pick up a piece of the trinket. "You hadn't done this." He held up the piece and presented it, then laughed and tossed it carelessly behind his back. "But it's no matter – there's always more to steal," he rubbed his chin and inspected her, nodding his approval. "In fact, you look capable enough, girl, so why don't you join us?" Offering his hand, Ymir saw that his teeth had gaps. It disgusted her._

_ "You mean 'me', 'why don't you join 'me', not 'us'." Ymir replied, grasping the stone tighter. "You shits are some of the lowest of the low and I don't acknowledge dirt."_

_ The man's face contorted in anger and he licked his lips. "And what does that make you, you bitch? You're doing the same thing we are, don't think we're any different." Poising his dagger at her chest, he chuckled. "This town is full of wealthy snobs who don't bat eyelashes at people like you and us, so shouldn't we work together to change that?" _

_ Ymir noticed that his hands had blood stains on them and smiled halfheartedly. "No, I'm not so low that I'd kill people to get what I want, unlike shit like you. I'm just in it to survive – I borrow, not take away. Shits like you guys who kill and steal aren't the same, don't act like you are."_

_ "So you noticed?" The man smiled widely, maliciously, as he waved the blade around. "We are murderers, yes, but we are doing what we must to survive as well – don't you see that?" _

_ "I see pieces of shit, nothing else. Murderers without a purpose other than to survive – can't you think of better ways than killing? Oh yeah, that's right, shit can't do anything other than stink up whatever they're near. Things that needed to be disposed of with the rest of the trash."_

_ "You bitch! I'm not going to take that from you! You think just because we kill people and you don't that you're better, that you're not trash as well? In this world, this town, where the wealthy take more lives than we possibly even could with their lifestyles? Safe from bandits, safe from the dangers of the Outer Walls, from Titans? Do you honestly think you're not the same as us?" he argued, stepping forward in the flurry of his rant. "Well, tough reality, girl, but you are! Even if you aren't a murderer, you're still trash like the rest of us! As long as all of us are here, that's all we'll ever be!" Raising his hands to the sky, he drew the blade across his tongue. Looking back at her, he smiled again. "I can still taste the blood from the latest kill, and it looks like," motioning to his lackeys, "we're about to increase our number." Lunging at her, he aimed his dagger straight for the center of her chest. "You should have accepted my offer bi-!" His vulgar language was cut off as a stone smashed into his nose and snapped his head back. Doubling over, he cursed and reached for his bleeding nose and looked into Ymir's eyes with hate. "You fucking bitch!" The cartilage of his nose was twisted at an unnatural angle as he tried to move it back into its original position of his face. Sneezing out more blood, he seethed and screamed for his lackeys to kill her; she deserved to die. _

_ Turning on her heel, Ymir ran around a corner of the alleyway as his lackeys gave chase and she smirked. Now this was fun. Knocking over debris and trash to slow down her pursuers, she rounded another corner that led out of the alleyway and ran into a crowd of walking passerbys. Glancing back over her shoulder and confirming that the lackeys were still giving chase, she rammed into startled and confused citizens as she continued to run. Needing a place to lay low, she searched the sides of the street for any viable hiding place and came upon another church like the one she'd sheltered in a few months prior. Not wasting any time, she bolted for the entrance and slammed open the doors and dived under one of the windows that looked out into the street. She heard multiple footsteps as they ran past the window and sighed in relief that the man's lackeys were a bunch of dumbasses and turned to inspect the place she'd run inside. _

_ The church was bigger and more extravagant looking that the one she'd been in previously, not to mention it wasn't full of dust or was in the slightest bit decrepit. There weren't any statues or crosses adorning the ledges along the walls like the other one, and there were no statues of angels near the altar. Instead, it looked to be the single statue of some monster that she knew she recognized before; a Titan. The monster she had once been, the part of her she wanted to forget. It was atop the altar and ominous in appearance. She'd heard talk about a bunch of lunatic fanatics that worshiped the Walls or some nonsense like that, but she didn't think she'd actually stumble upon one of their places of worship. Spitting her disgust on the floor, she approached the altar slowly. Wall Cultists, just as bad as any other religion. Complete and utter bullshit. Gazing up at the Titan, she cringed and looked away – she couldn't bear to stare at its ugly face any longer. Lunatics come in all shapes and sizes, don't they? She mused, sniffing and turning her attention to the ceiling. It was very high up, as she expected, and had beautifully crafted murals and artwork displayed; just useless fancy trappings that don't mean anything in the end. As she was broodingly condemning the pieces that were on the ceiling, the doors to the church creaked open and she huddled behind the stand, partially out of instinct. The other half was habit. Cursing at herself, she had forgotten the possibility of others coming in, and huddled further into the hollowed out space of the stand. Hearing the footsteps of two people, she held her breath as they talked._

_ "But, she's been born out of the wedlock! She can't possibly be the heiress because of that! A bastard child!" One of the men huffed, his voice tight and hushed, the matter he was discussing no doubt a secret family affair. "What are we going to do, the family isn't going to accept her as-!"_

_ "I know! But there's nothing we can do about it. We can only hope that this is overlooked somehow..." the other man retorted, easily the calmer of the two._

_ "But, it can't be unless she were killed or driven out! Maybe they should have killed her as soon as she was born so this whole fiasco didn't evolve in the first place!"_

_ "No, that would be too rash, I think. She is a blood relative, after all. Simply killing her isn't the way to go about it. Driving her out... that could work... in our favor and for her sake as well..." The calmer man sighed and started to walk back to the entrance. "Come, we'll discuss what do with her in my chambers – away from any prying eyes that may overhear us in public."_

_ "Yes, sir!" The more panicked man replied hastily, moving to catch up with his fellow conspirator. _

_ Ymir waited a few minutes after the door had shut to make sure they were gone and eased out from her hiding place. She balled a hand into a fist; politics and family feuds – neither of which she wanted to be a part of. Yet, this girl they were talking about, she was oddly compelled to see her. If nothing else, to see the outcome to her sad tale. Ymir smiled wickedly, maybe she could even use this girl to her advantage – after all, even if she was a bastard and out of the wedlock, the girl was still a blood member of their family, wasn't she? That in itself meant something, and Ymir suddenly had a new goal in her live of borrowing: she would find this girl and use her for her own needs and ends. Wanting to change, wanting to be different from the monster she had been – she doubted for a split second if she couldn't in fact shake off that side of herself, then shook her head free of the thought and gazed up at the statue of the Titan again. No, she wouldn't go back to the way she'd been, she'd just be a different Ymir altogether, one who only lives for herself and nobody else. As she turned on her heel to leave, she also resolved to tie up some loose ends before she finally left this town, and she opened the door, never looking back._

_ Recruitment centers in the town were scarcely occupied as nobody in the Innermost Wall would ever volunteer for the military. It was beneath them to fend for their homes and protect what is theirs – better to leave it to the lesser non important people. Poorer people. It royally made Ymir angry as she leaned against the entrance to one of them. From tips and bribes, she'd gotten wind that if anyone in Wall Sina wanted to join the military, they'd want the center farthest from the center of town. She tapped her boot on the stone paved ground; why hadn't she thought of that herself? It made sense, after all, that anyone in this town who didn't want to be spotted doing something considered "unbecoming", like joining the military, would do it with a lot of people around, where they're the most likely to get recognized by someone or other. Crossing her arms, she slammed the boot into the wall behind her – it was so simple, she could have figured it out on her own! Cursing her own lack of thinking, she moaned in boredom. This was taking too long, she'd already been standing here for two whole hours, when was that girl going to show up? Scanning the people who passed by, Ymir looked for anyone who looked to be on the run from their family. If the girl was smart – she'd already have escaped her home and be on the way to a recruitment center, and, Ymir hoped, was preferably this one. Moaning again, she continued to scan the crowd as she went over the girl's description in her head. _

_ Her name was unknown – at least, Ymir didn't know her name. The information she'd managed to dig up on her was scarce at best, but she was thankful that she wasn't fumbling in the dark trying to find her. The things she did know were that she was rather short for her age, had blonde hair, and was considered by a lot of noblemen and noblewomen to be "absolutely gorgeous". When she had heard that little detail, she'd wanted to throw up right on the spot, but at least it was better than "hideously ugly". Ymir, again, was thankful, because people considered "gorgeous" are usually easy to pick out in a group straight away, and she smirked – finding a midget with blonde hair and a pretty face was going to be too easy for her. It was at that moment that a rather short hooded figure walked out, almost suspiciously, from the crowd of others going by. Her smirk turned into a grin – yeah, way too easy. Watching lazily as the figure came closer to the entrance, Ymir waited until they were just about to hurry past her and stuck her foot out. The person yelped in surprise and fell forward, landing on their face. People in the crowd behind looked over to see what was the matter and went back to what they were doing as soon as they saw the figure on the ground – it wasn't their problem. The person sat up and looked around, wondering what had just happened and ended up staring at the seemingly uninterested tall girl leaning next to her. _

_ "Need any help?" the taller girl asked, arms crossed as she looked down. The person nodded and removed their hood being helped them to their feet._

_ "Thank you for your assistance," she smiled awkwardly, her blonde reaching down to her shoulders and soft blue eyes. "I'm grateful."_

_ Ymir pointed over her shoulder at the entrance to the recruitment center. "Is this where you were going?" she asked, already know what she'd say._

_ "Why, yes, I am," the girl blinked. "How did you know, are you going there as well?"_

_ "Something like that," Ymir replied, glancing around. "You got a name?" _

_ "Oh! I'm sorry! I never introduced myself, did I?" The girl exclaimed and turned red from embarrassment. "I'm..." she put a finger on the side of her cheek and looked away for a moment. "Krista..."_

_ Ymir blinked this time, she wasn't one of those stupid blondes, was she? It's not like she was complaining – in fact, it made her job easier. "Ymir."_

_ Krista led out her hand in an offer of acceptance. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ymir."_

_ "Yeah... likewise." Ymir glanced around again. She hadn't seen those murderers she'd run into a few days ago – she'd seen them looking for her a few times and didn't want to let her guard down now, even if the person she was searching for was right in front of her nose._

_ "Ummm... may I ask what you're looking around for?" Krista asked, a confused expression on her face as she looked up into Ymir's face. Ymir looked down and frowned slightly._

_ "Nothing, don't worry about it. So, you're wanting to join the military as well?" She had to keep the conversation going – get on her good side. It made kidnapping her easier, after all._

_ It took Krista a second to respond, as if she were unsure about her decision. "I... yes... I'm looking to join the military." She smiled warmly._

_ Ymir coughed and looked away – she was blushing slightly and didn't want the girl to see her like that. It was embarrassing to say the least. Why was she blushing, of all people, and at this girl, of all people?! Ymir peeked back at Krista's warm smile and clicked her tongue as she averted her eyes again and scanned the crowd for the murderers a third time. Stop smiling dammit! She wanted to say, but she knew she shouldn't get angry over something like a smile, so why was she? It irritated her. _

_ "Can you... quit staring at me like that?" Ymir asked rather shyly, which surprised and pissed her off at the same time. Why? Why the hell does my voice...!?_

_ Krista blushed from embarrassment and looked away. "Oh! Right, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been doing that!" She poked two fingers together and watched the crowd as well. "It was rude of me, wasn't it?"_

_ Ymir clicked her tongue again and peeked in her direction. "Yeah, it was. Think about the other person before you do shit like that." She scoffed, then quickly looked away again. Searching the crowd – she was frozen and didn't know what to do next! It was then that she spotted the people she had been looking for..._

_ "I'm sorry!" Krista flinched, as if she were about to be hit, but Ymir wasn't even paying attention and she stopped. "Ymir...?" Looking up at her, Krista wondered what she was so intensely staring at, turning to look where she was. "What are you-" Her sentence was cut off as Ymir suddenly grasped her wrist and told her to follow her, as the taller girl ran at full speed away from the recruitment center and down a street. Krista was afraid and both curious as she was pulled along at a faster pace than she was used to and glanced behind – her eyes widened in surprise; there were people chasing after them! She turned back to Ymir and shouted. "Ymir, there's people chasing us!"_

_ "I know that, dammit, just hold on and keep up!" the taller girl shouted back, focusing only on holding onto Krista and running. She glanced around and dived into an alleyway to try and shake them off. The bad news was that it was a dead end and there was nowhere to run – they were trapped. Ymir pushed Krista behind her. "Stay behind me, these guys are dangereous." Really, they weren't, but saying so would increase Krista's admiration of her and she could always use that. She grinned – now she'd be able to get rid of two birds with one stone! The man with the crooked nose and his three lackeys blocked the alleyway and approached them slowly._

_ "Hey there, girl," the man waved, grinning happily. "We've finally found you," he held up his knife and brandished it for all to see. "You know, we've been lookin' all over for you." His grin turned into a scowl. "You little bitch." A squeal from Krista caused him to peer around Ymir's shoulder at the shorter girl. "Oh? And who's this? You've gotten yourself a little friend?" He laughed, his gapped teeth ugly as ever. "A little bitch and her tiny mouse – ain't that something!" His lackeys laughed with him and Ymir cringed – it was like watching a bunch of idiots. Only, they weren't only stupid, but ugly too. She felt Krista's hand grip hers tightly and fixed the man with scornful eyes._

_ "You piece of shit, what do you want now?" she asked. "Let me guess – another broken nose?" She had to deal with this trash quickly and efficiently, there was no time to waste. "How about I give your more gaps between your teeth?"_

_ "Umm... Ymir... I don't think..." _

_ "What was that, you bitch?" The man growled – it didn't take much to piss him off, huh? "Still haven't learned your lesson from last time? I already told you that we're all-"_

_ "Yeah, sure, whatever." Ymir interrupted, not wanting to hear his voice anymore. "We're all the same and it sucks to be alive, right? I don't care about your problems, you piece of shit – you're bothering me."_

_ "You fucking bitch, I'll-!"_

_ Oh, shut up already! Ymir groaned in her head, and flung a rock at his face again, and as he clutching his bleeding lip she shot three more at his lackeys. As they were delirious and in pain from the sudden attack, she rushed forward with Krista and plowed through them – escaping into the street. After a few minutes of running, Ymir ducked down a side street and hide behind a wall with Krista next to her. They were both panting and she looked over to see how the shorter girl was doing. She was surprisingly resilient for her upbringing, and Ymir couldn't help but smile. She then cursed herself for doing that – no need to get attached dammit!_

"That_ was a close one!" Krista exclaimed after a moment, then grinned as she looked at Ymir. "You're a really great person, you know that? The way you dealt with those thugs and saved us both! I-"_

_ "It was nothing," Ymir grumbled, looking away. "They weren't any trouble." She looked back down again and was startled upon seeing Krista's outstretched hand._

_ "Let's try this again, huh? I'm Krista," the short girl smiled widely, her eyes beaming brightly. _

_ "I'm..." Now it was Ymir's turn to look away. "Ymir..." She accepted the handshake and scratched the back of her head._

_ "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ymir!"_

_ "Yeah..."_

_ Ymir glanced at Krista's smiling face and blushed slightly for a second time. Dammit, she had been drawn in. Breaking contact, she folded her arms behind her head and turned on her heel in the direction of the street, not wanting to look at Krista anymore. "Come on..."_

_ Krista hurried after her and walked beside the taller girl. "Where are we going?"_

_ "To fill out the papers for the military, our goal is to get in, right?"_

_ Krista smiled and nodded in agreement. "Right!" She looked ahead and followed beside Ymir, humming a tune as they went along._

_ Ymir scowled and groaned a little. Stop humming, dammit! She moaned in her head – this girl was too much trouble! She should have just stuck to borrowing money..._

/-.-.-.-\

"My name is _Historia_. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ymir."

Fritz looked down at Ymir, who was unconscious on the stretcher she was being hauled up in. Her limbs were still steaming and he felt pain all across his body, all at once; as if something in his mind was reacting to it. Annie, he thought, wiping sweat from his forehead and kneeling down, is this what you felt all the time? A burning sensation, as if her muscles and blood were boiling alive.

_ She'll regenerate after awhile_. Annie said. _I even didn't suspect she'd been a Titan all this time, I'd originally thought that..._

_ Thought what_? Fritz asked as her voice faded. _Annie..._?

"Please believe me! It's the truth!" Historia clasped her hands together and begged. "To save us, she had to reveal her secret and fight for us! Even if it meant disregarding her own life, it clearly shows her loyalty to humanity! I know that her actions up to that point are inexcusable: holding vital information from mankind..." Achi was standing nearby, weapons ready. She nodded for her to continue. "I-I suppose she was only concerned about herself, she _has_ changed since then!" She gestured to Ymir's still unconscious body. "This is proof that she's our ally! As someone who's known her for a long time, I assure you that she's a lot simply that she seems to be!"

Squad Leader Hange pondered her words for a moment, letting it all sink in. "I... see..." she looked towards Ymir now. "Well, don't get me wrong, but regardless of what she's done, the information she can provide is a treasure trove to humanity. Of course, I want to be on good terms with her, but _survival_ comes first. She herself might be simple in nature, but right now things are complicated..."

"Ma'am...?"

"You said your _real_ name was Historia, correct?"

"Yes, Historia Reiss."

"As in the Reiss Noble Household?"

"Yes..."

The Squad Leader patted Historia's shoulder and smiled. "Well, nice to meet you, Reiss!"

"Right..." Historia nodded back, following the older woman as she walked up to Ymir's stretcher. "Ines, how is she?" she asked the Lance Corporal, who seemed lost in thought.

"Fine. The bleeding's stopped. Now, she looks to be healing the more severe of the injuries..."

"We need to have her transported to the Trost District for proper, and hopefully faster, treatment." She motioned at two other soldiers. "You two, I'll leave this task to you! Ines, come with me. Originally, we came here to assist with any breaches in the Wall, but now we've discovered something else entirely."

"That appears to be the case."

"Did you question the three who broke into Leonhart's confinement chamber?"

"Yes, but one was critically wounded and couldn't be viable for questioning, the other two didn't reveal anything substantial."

"Keep tabs on them, they may be willing to reveal more in the future."

"Already on it."

"Good. You're as tact as you've ever been. Now, we'll deal with Ymir later. First, we put the plan to restore the Wall in motion." Hange looked out beyond the Wall. "I expected to see hordes of Titans, yet..." her voice trailed off and Ines followed her gaze. Hannes and his company were coming their way. He barely had both hands on the ledge when he started to speak:

"There's no breach _anywhere_! We've been searching all night, and I can guarantee you that at least between Trost and Chlorba that there's no breach in the Wall. We even double checked! Also, all this time, we haven't come across a _single_ Titan!"

Without warning, a flash of light and steam enveloped the Wall. Coming out of the chaos were two familiar sights: the Armored and Colossal Titans. In the Armored Titan's hands was Eren. Ymir had been snatched up by the Colossal Titan, and now, the two of them were sliding down the wall, aiming to escape.

Eren, obviously having made up his mind about the two of them, had bit down on his thumb and transformed. He'd slammed his fist into the Armored Titan's jaw, causing him to impact with the Wall. The Armored Titan quickly regained his composure and tackled him mid-air and both of them fell to the ground in a heap of tangled limbs and cracked earth.

Achi looked on as they struggled on the ground with one another, just as Hange told them to evacuate the Wall. The Colossal Titan was fast approaching the clump of gathered soldiers, and she looked up to see its hand come down on her. Instinctively, she dove under its fingers and slashed at the muscle of its wrist, the action having no effect. In the Titan's other hand was Ymir, who's limps were still slowly regenerating, and she aimed her wires at the hand. She was going to get Ymir back from Bertolt's clutches, even if it went against the plan they'd come up with. Abandoning a friend wasn't a part of her forte, after all. Just as she was about to reach the thumb, Bertolt's other hand had come up. It wrapped around her and she slashed to no avail. He'd caught her as well.

"He took another one!" Connie exclaimed as Bertolt opened his mouth and swallowed them. "He ate them!"

Hange glared up from their dangling position on the Wall and grimaced. "Everyone! Prepare for battle!" she shouted and led the charge up the Wall towards Bertolt. "We're going to bring the Colossal Type Titan down!" They shot up above the Wall all at once, not wasting a second. "Charge all at once! He's the enemy of mankind!"

Soldiers ran along his arms, went for his ribcage, around his head; anywhere they could to fight. _They needed to get to the nape of his neck_!

Captain Ines watched from a distance with her squad, watching Hange and the others. They all converged on the Colossal Titan's weakpoint at once, only to be knocked back by the high concentration of steam that shot out from his back. Hange came to her, first degree burns visible on her face. She turned to address the men.

"Squad 3 and 4, you're on standby! Go behind the target and wait! Rashard, you're in command! Squad 2, you guys are on standby here! Laura, I'm leaving them to you!" Turning back to Ines, she inclined her head towards the Colossal Titan. "It'll be interesting to see how long he can keep burning like that, but he'll run of out fuel eventually. He'll have to come out afterwards, and we'll wait for _that_ moment to make our move!" She glanced back to Armin to her left. "Now, listen to me, we can't take them alive anymore. It's too much of a risk. We kill them. Don't hesitate. Squad 1 will take care of the Armored Titan! Follow me!"

Ines and her squad continued looking on as Hange again led the charge, only this time it was down the Wall instead of up it. She thumbed the handles of her throwing knives, but other than that was standing perfectly still.

"Captain," Zena started, "shouldn't we assist Squad Leader Hange?"

"We can't just sit here and do nothing!" Alger added, impatient as always when not a part of the action. "What good is-"

"There's no point in taking a part in this," Ines replied, her voice flat. "We're here to observe for now, nothing more."

"But ma'am, look around! We can't just let this go on! We have to do _something_!"

Ines spun on her heel to face Alger, her eyes as cold as ice and voice stern as steel. "And what do you propose we do? Look closely around you, the Colossal Type is unapproachable with all that intensive steam billowing out, and down below the Armored Type is currently engaged with that boy. The boy's control over his Titan form is still unstable, wild and uncoordinated, he's more likely to kill one of _us_ than subdue the Armored Type. Who, not to mention, most likely knows more about Shifting than that boy ever could!" Her voice started to rise, her body still unmoving. "Look at the Colossal Type again," she gestured to its mouth. "Our two prime leads are inside its mouth. We need to wait like for it to stop its steam before engaging, like Hange pointed out. Once that happens, I assure you, we _will_ cut open its jaws and get what we came here for. Is that _clear_?"

Alger stared hard into her eyes, not one to back down. "Yes, ma'am." Yet, his voice was small and almost like a whisper.

Ines went back to watching Hange lead Squad 1, focusing her attention on her brother and Mikasa, who were both fast approaching the Armored Titan. _Dam__mit Fritz,__what are you hiding from us...?_

Fritz came alongside Mikasa, who glared at him hatefully, but didn't do anything more. They both came to realize that stopping Reiner was more important than any past issues and he went lower, coordinating his attack with hers. As soon as she swung around to strike Reiner on his weakpoint he want low for the tendons on his legs, but the hardened skin made it impossible for his blades to cut through. He looked up just in time to see Mikasa jump off Reiner's shoulder, but not out of the way from _what_. He felt the impact even as he got clear; Eren had tried to punch Reiner. Landing on the ground, he saw Eren sprawled flat, Reiner standing over him. _It hadn't worked_, he thought, tossing his two chipped blades. _Is there any weakness to his ability, Annie_? No response. He sighed, Annie's been unresponsive since he'd tried asking her for more about her assumptions involving Ymir. Still, he wasn't about to stop asking. _Annie, Bertolt has Achi and Ymir, we can't let them escape! Is there any way to stop Reiner?! ANNIE! _

_ Momentum._

"What?" _Momentum_? he mused, watching as Eren got up, his arm destroyed from punching Reiner's armored face. He roared and charged again, lashing out with the other, only to be met with the same result. Only this time, Reiner has smashed him in face. Eren's eyeball and an impressive chunk of his jaw flew freely in the air, and as he fell to the ground again, Annie spoke up again.

_ He's using Eren's momentum against him_. A part of Annie's memory came to him. It was training, from two years ago:

_"I want to throw those words right back at you." Annie said, hefting the wooden rifle she'd just used to knock Eren back over her shoulder. "It's because you don't hold back when you come at me that the collision is so hard." She remembered a time when she'd done the same thing with Fritz, although it had hurt a lot worse since there wasn't anything but her arms tossing him back. "I only met you accordingly." __The way he'd smile and ask if she'd been ok, since afterward she was clutching her arm. When he'd examined it, only to scratch his head because he knew nothing about how to treat injuries. The stupid look on his face when she'd told him it was nothing serious, just residual tension from the collision. Neither of them ever went easy, did they? "I'm not nearly as strong as you are, and anyway, if you consider yourself a man, shouldn't you go easier on this weak body of mine?" She said to Eren, but the question was aimed more at Fritz, who would've tried touching her hair, as if petting made everything better._

_ "Huh? Your jokes aren't funny, you know." Eren replied, dusting himself off as he got to his feet. "If you're not as strong, then why the heck are you still standing?"_

_ Annie averted her eyes to the side, where Fritz was busy getting kicked in the groin by Ymir. Ymir really didn't fight fair, did she? "Well, it's because the technique I used is different from what they teach here. I didn't throw you using strength." She threw down the wooden rifle and slowly raised her arms in her usual stance, her attention having gone back to Eren. "The weak have to resort to using self protection against stronger opponents. It wouldn't hurt if you learned these moves as well."_

_ "Alright, alright! I get it," Eren exclaimed, waving his hand. "Can we take a break-!"_

_ Annie threw a weak punch at the side of his head, and as Eren countered with his elbow, she grabbed his undefended jacket and locked her arms around his neck, bringing him to the ground. She held on tight as he struggled to get free._

_ He patted her hand and grunted. "I give. Annie, I give up! Just-"_

_ "Give up? You don't need to give up, you need to learn. How to use your strength for other techniques besides upfront attacks and... how to talk politely to girls..."_

_ "I-I get it already! I've memorized the move, now get off!"_

_ "Have you really...?" She didn't finish the sentence as a large shadow blocked out the glare of the sun, and she got away just as Reiner landed on top of Eren._

_ "Reiner?!" Eren shouted, coughing as he kicked him off. "What'd you come and fall down on us for?!"_

_ "Hey, Annie, why don't you teach me those moves as well?" Mikasa said, coming over slowly. It was obvious now who'd thrown Reiner._

_ Annie stretched, getting to her feet. "Well, these moves are intended for humans to use, so I don't really think someone like yourself needs them at all." She flexed her arm and stretched it out, grabbing the forearm with the other hand. "Though, I'm curious to see if they work on a monster..."_

Fritz remembered that day. His balls hurt just thinking about it.

_Fritz was wiggling on the ground grasping his groin area as everyone gathered around Mikasa and Annie. He reached up to Ymir, who was standing next to Achi and Krista. "__H-h__eey... a little... help... here?" he wheezed, obviously in a large amount of pain._

_ "Shut up, something good's going down," Ymir replied. Krista frowned at her angrily and bent down, offering her hand._

_ "Here, Fritz, take my hand."_

_ He obeyed and took the offer, only to have his weight pull her down with him. She landed on his back with a yelp as they landed in a heap together. She laughed and the two other girls turned_

_ "Fritz... you..." Ymir clenched her fists as Achi tried suppressing her laughter. _

_ The last thing he remembered was getting woken up by Connie and Lund when the fight between Mikasa and Annie had finished. _

_What did I have to remember that __now_? he groaned in his head.

_ Fritz, pay attention! Look_! Annie snapped him out of the memories, just as Eren used the same move he'd seen in her memory against Reiner and locked him in a chokehold with his legs. He tore one of his arms off at the elbow and tossed it aside, then was knocked off by Reiner, who even in his Titan form looked pissed off. _He used momentum. That's the key..._

_ Then, that means Eren has a chance at beating him_?

_ No, he's still no match for Reiner._

As she said this, Reiner slammed Eren into the Wall with the force of a tsunami and pounded on him. Eren grabbed a hold of him, taking him to the ground. Reiner crawled along the ground as Eren tore at the nape of his neck.

_ What are you talking about? He's definitely going to get him!_

_No, keep looking. Above._

Above was Bertolt and Fritz came to realize what Annie had meant when she said momentum, as Reiner roared and Bertolt answered, falling down to ground zero...


	20. Titan Shifters

**Chapter Twenty: Titan Shifters**

Mikasa rubbed the side of her head. "Ah, this again..." _I'm losing it again_. It's _getting farther and farther away from me..._

"Are you hurt anywhere, Mikasa?" Armin asked.

_My family_. "No, it's nothing, I just... I just hit my head pretty hard. I'm fine..."

Fritz looked at Squad Leader Hange, who had severe injuries and wasn't about to move anytime soon. The trail from Ines and her squad's horses was still visible when they had stormed their way back to Trost atop the Wall to get Commander Erwin and inform him of the situation. In the opposite direction, on the other side of the Wall, Reiner and Bertolt had made their escape with Eren, Ymir, and Achi. _She's been taken away_! Fritz thought, his anger rising. _I hope she's alright..._

_ She is._

_ How do you know?_

_ I know Achi. She's tough, despite how she acts. I... made sure of that..._

"Say, Fritz," Eletta waved. "Help me saddle my horse!" She was frantically trying to no avail.

"What for?"

Eletta pointed in the direction Reiner and Bertolt had gone. "So we can hurry up and get 'em back. What use is there in just sitting around?" She smiled.

She's right. Fritz thought, smirking. He got up and eased his way to ground level.

"There really is no use for it, is there?" He smiled back.

"Hey Armin," Mikasa said, gathering her Gear and standing to her feet. "Why does Eren always end up so far away from us?"

"Now that I think about it, Eren always ran off on his own, in the past," Armin answered, looking down. "Leaving us behind. Things always end up this way, don't they? I guess it's just the fate he was born under..."

"All I want is to be by his side. It's all I ever wanted, and yet..." _I can't._

"Hey, you two hungry?" Hannes asked, coming towards them, holding two extra rations. "Eat these. Field provisions is all we have at the moment, but hey, who's complaining? Not me, that's for sure!" He sighed and sat down next to them, biting into his own ration. "Yup', neither good nor bad, just normal." Taking a sip of his water, he noticed their crestfallen faces. "It's always been like this, huh?" He smiled, wiping his chin. "Since long ago, it was always your guys' job to take care of the trouble that brat gets himself into, right? It's what they call an inseparable bond you can't escape even if you try, you know? Hah, geez, seriously – the times and circumstances sure change, but you guys' don't. You're still up to the same old since when you were kids. Don't you agree?"

/-.-.-.-\

Eliza tore off the rotten chunk of wood that was ruining the otherwise pristine wood of the stables. Without an arm, doing simple tasks was a little more difficult, though she knew that wouldn't be the case for long. Glancing around to make sure nobody was watching, she tossed the piece of wood into a nearby haystack. _That solves that problem_, she used the rest of the beam for support and stood up, yawning. Captain Levi had gathered some of the left over trainees and soldiers who weren't out chasing after Eren to watch over the Wall fanatics. They were waiting in a wagon for the time being, since Commander Erwin had told them to stay put. Apparently, Eren had got himself captured... _again_. She sighed, moving her stump. "So boring." she said to herself as a shadow cast itself in the doorway.

"Need any help?" Jean asked, holding the reins of a horse who'd gotten loose – all thanks to that rotten piece of wood from earlier.

"No, I'll take care of that, go back to the Captain," she replied, pointing her stump at the reins in his hand.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I can handle it."

He shrugged and tossed them. She caught them without any difficulty and smirked. _Yep, already used to it_. She pulled the horse closer and stroked its mane, then turned back to Jean. The boy was her type, but sadly she wasn't in the market for a significant other. It was a shame really...

"If you need anything, just let me know, alright?" he said, then looked around the stable once before leaving again.

Eliza waited until his shadow had gone then stared into the horse's black eyes. "Hey there, buddy! Do you wanna take a trip with me?" The horse blinked, but that didn't mean no, so she clapped her hands softly and saddled up. She strode through the back entrance and looked round. Nobody in sight. Good. Snapping the reins and kicking the horse's sides, she went full gallop out of the Trost District, following the trail Commander Erwin and his reinforcements had left in their wake.

/-.-.-.-\

In the distance, Commander Erwin and his reinforcements were riding atop the Wall towards them. Fritz stretched as Mikasa told everyone they've arrived with the extra horses, and the portable pulley to get their horses over the Wall quickly. He looked over at Eletta, who gave him a thumbs up and ran to her horse, which they'd already saddled a little under an hour before. It's been a little over five hours since Eren, Ymir, and Achi had been whisked away, but now was the time they'd get them back.

"I won't! So don't make me repeat myself."

Someone said in the gathering of people behind him, and he turned to see Historia arguing with Armin. He made his way over, listening in:

"I can't simply sit back while my friends are being taken away. You and Mikasa should understand that better than anyone!"

"Krista's right, Armin." Connie interjected, his back turned as he stared out into the territory of Wall Maria, arms crossed. "We all got more than enough reason to pursue them. I, personally, can't believe all that _shit_ about them; not one bit. I _refuse_ to believe that Reiner and Bertolt are our enemies until I hear from them directly."

"Commander Erwin!" a soldier shouted as the Commander strode to Fritz and the others.

"A-and the Military Police too?!"

He opened his mouth to say something when he suddenly averted his eyes to the ground. Squad Leader Hange had managed to regain consciousness and was gripping his leg, asking for a map of the surrounding area. A soldier hastily laid it out flat in front of her and she took a finger, tapping an area in the middle; a forest of giant trees.

"There's a forest here, although it's pretty small in comparison to the one we used to trap the Female-Type Titan in. Nonetheless, that's where you should head to, I have a reason to doubt that the Armored-Type will have bothered to cover his tracks, so there's a very good chance-"

"What makes you think so?"

"It's a gamble, but even if those two have the power of their Titan forms, they're still in danger from other Titans outside the Wall. After all that fighting they had to do, they must be pretty exhausted – not as much as Eren – but still, it seems that the Female-Type, Annie, had slept for a considerable amount of time after her rampage."

Fritz gulped. He remembered when he and Jayce had helped her stumble back to her quarters, wanting to ask more about what had happened, when she just crashed to the floor. He'd been careful not to grope her as he lifted her upper body into the bed while Jayce watched the corridor, and blushed at the memory.

_You tried to touch me in my sleep?_ Annie's voice cut through his mind angrily. _Is that what that girl had meant when she said "don't go for her boobs this time"_?

_No, no, no! I didn't! I swear! The only time I've stared at your chest was when you were in your Titan form! They were so... visible... and-_

Annie sighed and Fritz could feel a coldness coat the inside of his brain. _Look, just... don't do that stuff... without..._

Her voice trailed off into an inaudible whisper and he waited, but she didn't speak up. _Annie? What did you say? I didn't catch that last-_

_Without my permission_! She screamed as he clenched his teeth. He couldn't interrupt Hange's explanation:

"... and by taking that into account, their most immediate concern is finding a high enough place where the other Titans would be unable to reach them. So that means that they can stay there at least until nightfall when Titans become unable to move. You have until nightfall! If you can make it to that forest before nightfall, you just might be able to catch up with them and rescue those three!"

Fritz balled a hand into a fist. _We're definitely going to save them_! He and everyone else scrambled to their horses, ready to bring the fight to the Titans, even if it cost them their lives.

Commander Erwin raised one of his weapons towards the direction Hange had summarized for them, his horse already on one of the pulley systems they had brought along. "Men, forward!"

/-.-.-.-\

"And what makes you think I'll tell you asswipes anything?" Achi growled, wiggling around in her restraints. She spat in their direction and waited for Ymir to finish explaining why it was a bad idea to Titan Shift in this place, surrounded by Titans. Reiner glared at her and crossed him arms. He sighed, seeing if Bertolt had any ideas. The other boy shrugged and Reiner sighed again, then decided now was the best time to interrupt Ymir's whispering.

"Actually, you guys can't turn into Titans in the first place. It's not as convenient as you think it is, there's a limit to your physical strength and right now," he gestured at Eren's arms, which he'd made sure to cut off before the boy had regained consciousness minutes before, "it looks like your bodies have their hands full with just recovering."

"Fuck you. Who gives a damn what you have to say?" Eren replied, his brow lowering and lips forming into a snarl.

Achi smirked. _The kid had balls_, she had to give him that much. More than Fritz, it seemed. "Hey Hoover, do you still wet the bed when lightning strikes?" she asked, giving more time to Ymir so she could explain the rest of what she needed to Eren in the few seconds she'd given them. "Or did becoming a Titan remedy that?"

Bertolt glared at her but didn't say anything back.

"Hey, you listening, asswipe? I said-"

"Achi, you can back off now, I've told him already," Ymir interrupted. "Now, didn't you two say we'd get serious after Eren woke up? Hurry up with it. What are you going to do with us?"

"We're gonna take you back to our hometown," Reiner responded, seeing Achi's face cloud with dread from the corner of his eye. "We already know that you're not just going to tag along obediently. Though, it's as Ymir said: we're deep in Titan territory. If we try to kill each other now, when we're all exhausted, we'd just get eaten by the Titans waiting down below. In other words, we have no choice but to stay here until nightfall, when they stop moving. That is when you guys either get away from us, or we capture you."

"What's you reason for staying instead of running back to your 'hometown' as the Armored Titan? What, did you get tired and decide to take a break?"

"I'll leave that to your imagination."

A moment of silence elapsed. Achi used the opportunity to crane her neck. The Titans were clawing at the trees, hunger in their eyes.

"The Titans, Ymir said they were moving at night, is that true?" she asked in a whisper.

Bertolt blinked. "That's right..."

"Then, what about these ones?"

"These ones can't move at night," Reiner added, then to Ymir: "You should already know this, Ymir. And Achi, you remember what it was like back then, don't you? Those ones couldn't move at night either. Only during the day..."

"I never noticed, I guess I was too busy trying _not_ to get eaten."

"In any case, will you talk to us now? Where's Annie? Do you have any idea of where she's being kept?"

"And just what the fuck makes you think she wants to see your sorry asses again?"

"Uh-huh..."

/-.-.-.-\

"Reiner..." Ymir yawned, a few hours having passed since they came to the forest. "Don't you have any water? At this rate, we'll all die of dehydration."

"I know, I know, but it's impossible to get any in this situation," he replied, his arms still crossed.

"This sucks," Achi added.

"I agree." Ymir said, looking at her. "Say, how was Historia when I left?"

Achi sighed, trying to stretch as best she could while tied up. "Alright, she went on defending you, after... well... you know..."

"So she's had no rest just like the rest of us, huh?"

"Now that you mention it," Reiner interjected, "we've been working non-stop ever since yesterday afternoon, when the Titans showed up. We haven't had anything to eat or drink, and certainly haven't slept." He scratched his nose as he continued: "Well, fortunately the Wall wasn't breached, so for now I'd like to get some sleep. We can talk about promotions later..."

Bertolt's face adopted a shocked expression. "Hey, R-Reiner..." Everyone else's face had the same look. _Something was different about him all of a sudden..._

"I think we definitely deserve it. We did quite well given the situation. Us, as soldiers, should have that kind of consideration and appreciation. That'd be nice..." He smiled, looking at each of them in turn.

"What's going on?" Achi asked. "Did he snap already?"

"Reiner... what the hell are you talking about?" Ymir then asked, just as confused.

"I'm not getting ahead of myself here! I mean, I'm not saying I should be promoted to Captain right away or anything..."

"No, that's-"

"By the way, you guys got that cannon from somewhere in the upper floors, am I right? That really helped us back there, and the whole thing with Krista was really strange." He laughed and waved a hand around. "To tell you the truth, she's always been especially nice to me and I-"

"Hey! Are you fucking _kidding_ us?" Eren shouted, his eyes wide with a deep hatred.

Reiner raised his hands in a defensive posture. "What are you so angry about, Eren? Did I say something bad...?" Bertolt put a hand on his shoulder, telling him that he wasn't a soldier, but a warrior, and Reiner blinked for a second, before looking down at shaky hands.

"Ah, what's... what's going on...?" Reiner said, cradling his head in his hands.

"I think I have an idea of what's going on," Ymir said. "I thought it was strange, that the same guy who destroyed the Wall would risk his own life to save Connie, of all people. He didn't even realize it. I don't know the exact circumstances, but he was originally a warrior who's goal was to destroy the Wall but somehow while leading a soldier's life, he lost track of who he was. Or, maybe, he couldn't take what he'd done, and to protect his sanity, he escaped to the belief that he really _was_ one of the soldiers protecting the Wall, and submerged himself in that belief. This resulted in his consciousness splitting down the middle, fabricating false memories. This must have happened quite a bit, eh Bertolt? Something like that is pretty amazing! Even with your overly sincere personality, you-"

"Shut up!" Reiner cut her off, his glare deadly. "Shut the fuck up, Ymir."

"Guess I said too much," she smirked. She smiled at Achi, who shook her head. There was no need to pry any further.

"Ymir," Reiner said after a beat, regaining his senses. "Do you think that this world has a future? Think about the path you should take from here, it's still possible for you to come to our side, isn't it?"

"Hah? What are you going on about _now_? Are you telling me to _trust_ you?"

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Achi added. "There's no way any of us can trust the likes of you two!"

"That isn't true!" Reiner said, shaking his head back and forth. "I _can_ trust you! Ymir, your goal is to protect Krista, right? And Achi! Yours is to protect Annie, am I wrong? This is the one instance in which we should rely on each other! It might seem like I'm joking, but... don't you think we can agree on the notion that we all want something? With Krista... and... Annie...? And, do you think that Eren's powers are more reliable than ours? He's the one who captured Annie and tried to kill her! He'd do the same to Krista given enough reason to do so!"

"Huh?! That's bullshit!" Eren exclaimed. Ymir was glaring at him, rendering him speechless.

"It seems to me, Ymir, that you were planning on using Eren to get out of here along with Achi. You're probably trying to do all you can for yourself and her before we take you away, right? To save your own asses? Frankly, that's true. The two of us can't guarantee your safety, but when it comes to Krista's and Annie's futures, there's something we can do... it's up to you guys..."

"What about not trusting them, huh? Ymir!" Eren shouted frantically. "Hey, Ymir! Achi!"

Achi bowed her head and didn't respond, while Ymir stared him straight in the eye.

"_Who knows..._?"

/-.-.-.-\

Eliza sniffed and dismounted from her horse near the forest of giant trees. She'd followed tracks here from the Wall, looking up. They were somewhere up in those trees, and she was determined to find them. She had some things to discuss...

/-.-.-.-\

Commander Erwin nodded for the soldier next to him to fire his signal flare, starting a chain of green smoke that sailed into the air, visible more miles. As they rode over a rolling hill, he kept up his saying: Advance, don't stop now. Advance, advance! It was like a broken record, one full of grit and an irreplaceable iron will that never stopped playing. His blade was still raised high into the air, pointing in the direction of the giant trees yonder.

Mikasa gripped tightly on her reins, the outline of which digging into her palms. The leather created red marks, but she didn't care; in fact, she didn't even feel it. All she felt was her rage building up, her determination, her resolve. Her hatred. Armin nodded to reassure her that everything would work out, that they'd get Eren back, no matter what. Glaring behind, she fixed her eyes on Fritz – she still didn't trust him. He'd helped the Female-Type, after all. She'd have to watch him closely.

"Ackerman," a stern voice said from somewhere in front, near Commander Erwin and his guard. Mikasa saw Captain Ines's head slightly turned, one eye on her. "Don't do anything reckless, think upon your actions and how they'll affect us as a whole. We can't have what you pulled last time to happen here. Your skill, we're going to need it now more than ever."

Nodding her understanding quickly, Mikasa bit down on her lip. She'd rescue Eren, even if it cost the lives of herself and her friends.

/-.-.-.-\

"Our opponents are persistent!" Reiner exclaimed, jumping onto the branch where the three captives were bound.

Eren backed up into the tree trunk and clenched his teeth, trying to suppress his emotions. It was hard to do, something he'd never had to do before. "What... is it... Reiner?" he asked, eyes wide. "It's not night yet."

"That's fine, we're leaving. Don't put up any unnecessary resistance, ok?"

Eyes narrowing, Eren lifted one of his still regenerating hands. "Come on, Reiner..." he started to say. No, no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't suppress his hatred, his anger, his _rage_. "No need to act violent. I'm in this condition after all, see?" He presented both stumps. "I can hardly resist like this, now can't I?" Without a second thought, or a second wasted, he took Reiner in a fierce headlock and knocked him to the ground. Jumping on him, punching him in the face, he knew he couldn't contain it. _He__'d__ kn__own__ it all along_. Reiner retaliated, kicking him back into the tree, then subduing him with a headlock of his own. Shouting curses and threats, Eren struggled to no avail.

Ymir didn't even acknowledge him anymore, rubbing her wrists. Unlike Eren, her limbs and internal organs had already regenerated. "Say, why are we leaving already?" she asked Bertolt, who was staring at Achi to make sure the girl didn't try anything either. In that instance, Ymir thought it was somewhat funny; didn't they trust Achi like they trusted _her_? Didn't they already say they did? It must have been something they noticed afterwards, but she couldn't – ah, _that's_ what it was. It all went back to _him_, didn't it? Either him or Eren, one of the two; it was always them. Grinning, she caught Achi's eye. _You think he's going to get here in time? All of them? Any of them_? she mouthed so Bertolt didn't notice. Achi mouthed a response back:

_N__o, I don't actually. Can you just tell this freak to stop staring at me like that_? She nodded at the freak in question, who now seemed to be staring beyond her at something else entirely. _I'd... appreciate it..._

_ Would you_? _Does that mean you owe me a favor_?

_ Sure, just remember to use it wisely_. Achi was grinning now.

"Hah." Ymir smirked, turning to Bertolt again, asking the same question as before. This time, he looked over.

"_Ymir..._" he was staring at her now, his eyes holding a sharp intensity. Achi was right, _what a freak_. "After you went back to being human, did you still remember who you ate?"

She hadn't been prepared for the question, silent for a moment as she tried to remember. No, she didn't want to remember. The monster she'd been; the pain. In the backdrop, Reiner was tightening his grip on Eren's neck to shut him up, which she was grateful for: it allowed her to think a little more clearly. "No, I don't. But, I will tell you that it had been five years ago. Was it one of your comrades?" Bertolt's eyes softened as he looked away, averting his attention to Reiner and Eren who were still struggling on the branch. "I see. I'm sorry, I don't remember..."

"It can't be helped if you don't. It was the same for us, too." He gestured at Eren, who was busy biting Reiner's arm, drawing trickles of blood. "Eren doesn't seem to remember either, so-"

"_Do you hate me_?"

"I wonder that myself... I'm sure you didn't _want_ to eat anyone, it was just... an instinct. Just how _long_ were you wandering outside the Walls? How much time had passed?"

A moment of silence, then: "Around _sixty years_. It was like I was in a neverending _nightmare_."

A whistle from a branch higher-up; the rustling of leaves. "And here I thought you'd never open up like that," a girl's voice said. Everyone jerked their heads to see Eliza leaning against a tree. All except for Eren, who was unconscious.

"Eliza!" Achi exclaimed, eyes wide and overjoyed.

Scowling, Reiner loosed his grip on Eren. "Eliza..." he tried recalling the name as his voice trailed off.

"_Garrot_." Ymir finished for him, not having moved a muscle. "What are you doing here? More importantly, how did you find where we were being held?"

Eliza shrugged, one sleeve dangling and flapping in the breeze. "It wasn't hard," she inclined her head towards Eren, "that boy is fairly loud, so I didn't have any trouble."

"How'd you get past the Titans?!" Bertolt asked, standing up. "They're swarming all over this place!" To that, Eliza just smiled.

"And, if I were to tell you that, what good would it do since I'm already here?"

"Are you here to take them back?" Reiner added, not so much as a question but a threat.

Shaking her head, Eliza chuckled, crossing her arm. "No, if I was planning to do that you'd be _dead_ by now." Her tone suddenly lost all of its playful, carefree edge. It was now something _wiser_, seeped in disgust and-

"_Your accent changed_," Ymir noticed with a whisper, blinking. "But it's not from-" Eliza cut her off with laughter, her sides shaking.

"Well, nothing can get past you." She paused, her eyes narrowing. If one were to blink, they'd have missed it, and the quickness of her feet after. Now, Eliza was leaning down beside Ymir's ear.

Achi stretched to see what was happening, seeing Eliza's lips move, unable to make them out. _When had she..._? Achi looked from the branch Eliza had just been on to where she was now. She shouldn't have blinked...

Assuming her full height again, Eliza looked between the rest of them. "I'm not going to go after you, all I want is to ask a question, and," she pointed at Achi. "I want the midget. Deal?"

"How do we know that we can trust you?" Reiner asked, glaring.

Glancing back, she scratched her head. "Well, either we waste time deconstructing my loyalty, or you figure it out later, because, well, they're nearly here."

Cursing, Reiner went from her to Achi, then down to Eren. "_Fine_. What was your question?"

"_The Coordinate_, do you know where it is?" Both of their eyes growing wide, Reiner and Bertolt shook their heads.

"How do you-"

Sighing, she looked out to the mix of Scouting Legion and Military Police forces. "Too bad, but you'd better get your asses in gear, or else-"

"Answer me! How do you-"

Her eyes shut him up immediately; no question asked. They did all the talking, and they said: _do you really want to know, _boy_? If I were to tell you, then it'd take all the _pleasure_ out of killing you. _Smirking, Eliza casually went up to Achi and turned on her heel. "You two better leave, now. I'd do it if I were you..."

Reiner gave the girl one last look before strapping Eren to his back.

"Reiner, but she-"

"I know that! But she's right, we have to go! Now! Ymir...!" Ymir was unresponsive, her face horrified after whatever Eliza had whispered into her ear. "Dammit, we can't deal with this right now...Bertolt!"

"Right!" He strapped Ymir to his back and nodded that he was ready...

/-.-.-.-\

Eliza watched them disappear and looked down at Achi, who felt as if death were staring her straight in the face.

"W-what?"

Eliza burst out in laughter. "That look on your face!"

Achi puffed her cheeks. "Shut the fuck up already and untie me dammit!" Her anger was stronger than her fear, and Eliza smiled; she liked this girl, _a lot_. She reminded her of herself, in some ways.

"Alright, alright, I'm getting to it. Now, just hold still..."

As she started to untie the shorter girl's restraints, she couldn't help but _smile_. The up and coming events were going to be _fun_.


	21. Bloodlust

**Chapter Twenty One: Bloodlust**

Battle wasn't a priority. That's what Commander Erwin had ordered. Their main objective was rescuing Eren, nothing more. Running through the swarm of Titans, it was expected that some of them would die, plucked from their horses like toys. Still, the survivors went on. One of the men led the horses away to draw the Titans from the forest, and as he did so everyone else dismounted, going in. Amongst the branches and trees, Eren was being held somewhere.

Killing Reiner and Bertolt was the secondary objective, but Fritz didn't want to do it so soon. He couldn't deny what they'd done, after learning more from Annie on the way, but like Connie, he just couldn't outright kill them. They may know something valuable that he'd need, something that Annie would need. _Was it closure_? He wasn't sure, but he'd knew he'd find it here and now, in these next moments. Further ahead, there was a flash of light and everyone converged on the source. Upon a tree just up ahead, a claw embedded into the bark, was Ymir in her Titan form. It was smaller than he'd imagined it to be, with long dark hair and a draw out face, almost like that of an evil faerie's. His mother had often talked about these faeries from long ago that would grant wishes and cause mischief; wrecking havoc. Whether the stories were true or not, Fritz couldn't hope to guess, but one thing was for certain: Ymir was after something, thus she knew something. He needed to know what.

_Be cautious_. Annie's voice sounded in his head, calmer than usual. Was it the anticipation that made her so? It was an admirable trait of hers; one that he didn't have. He couldn't help but be nervous, glancing back to where Commander Erwin was supposed to be. His sister was with him as well, on guard duty along with her squad. He'd finally got to see her after all this time and they'd barely had any time to talk about anything other than military issues. Not to mention, she looked different somehow – like the past was weighing heavily on her shoulders. The deaths of her comrades, the failures she's had to live with. It showed in her eyes.

_She doesn't seem to be with anybody else, but I know that those two are nearby, watching_. Annie continued. _Be careful_. Connie hit Ymir on the head, asking for Eren's whereabouts, but Ymir kept on staring out, as if searching for something. _It's strange_. Annie commented slowly. _Hold on, isn't Krista behind you_? She asked and he turned slightly, seeing a flash of blonde hair.

_Yeah, she is..._

_Move out of the way. Hang on that tree over there before you come into view of her._

_Huh? You mean Historia's view? She can already see me though! I mean, she's right there_! Fritz answered, not understanding that she was talking about Ymir.

_Just do it, you'll thank me later_.

Grumbling, he did as he was told – she'd saved him before, after all. Thus her word had to count for something, _right_? Leaning against the bark of the tree, he nodded at Historia who smiled back, and as quickly as it appeared, the smile was gone, replaced by a solid determination to get her best friend back. As she rounded the tree he was on, Ymir sprang into action. Leaping off the tree at a high velocity, her jaws widening, she took Historia into her mouth and clamped off, going from tree to tree. Fritz could only watch in disbelief. _Good thing I trusted her_, he thought, as the others rushed after her. Debating whether or not to follow them, to save Historia, he was having second thoughts. It wasn't like that girl to just do something without a purpose, so she must have taken her best friend for a _reason_. Blinking rapidly, he looked up at the tree tops. _She'd be alright, right_?

Not wanting to dwell on the thought anymore, Fritz went to the nearest branch, now intent on finding where Achi was. For all he knew, she could still be with Reiner and Bertolt as their captive, but there was also the possibility that she wasn't. He had to make sure...

/-.-.-.-\

"All squads! Just go ahead and let the Titans follow you!" Commander Erwin ordered, turning around from the edge of the forest to pursue Reiner, who'd just transformed into his Titan form trying to escape. A soldier of the Military Police turned to shout at him.

"Hey, Erwin! You're planning on using us as decoys again?!" he asked, as some of his comrades were being devoured in the clump of Titans behind.

"That's not my intent! The Military Police is fighting admirably! Fulfill your duties as soldiers!" the Commander retorted, increasing the running pace of his horse. Next to him, Captain Ines was giving orders to the rest of the Scouting Legion, calling out formations, and telling them to follow. "Ines! The Armored Titan is our top priority! We need to stop his escape at all costs! You know what that means, don't you?!"

Ines nodded her understanding, saying nothing, only meeting his eyes. That was enough. "Everyone! No matter what happens from now on, keep pressing forward and don't loss sight of the Armored-Type!" she shouted, pointing at its bulky form.

They were far from the forest by now, scarcely any trees in sight. They'd gained ground on Reiner since he'd started slowing down. Looking at his head, Ines could see the shapes of what looked to be the girl Ymir in her Titan form, along with three other smaller ones. She summarized that these had to be Bertolt, Eren, and Historia. Narrowing her eyes, she glanced back at the forest in the distance. Where was the other girl, Achi? Among the soldiers here, as well, she didn't see her younger brother. _Have they escaped together_? She wondered, as Riecka noticed the worried expression that clouded her features.

"Captain, we've been chasing them for a few minutes by now, and we're within striking distance, should be commence attacking?" the other woman asked. Ines looked at her. Riecka, a calm and equally efficient soldier, under control of her emotions in even the most stressful and hopeless of situations. That was why she'd chosen her as part of the Special Investigation Squad. She was also somewhat of a sadist, but that didn't bother her one bit.

"Wait a little longer, we need to get right up next to them, it'll be harder for them to grab our wires that way!"

"Right."

Looking down at her reins, Ines wondered how many of them were going to die this morning? Would they even make it to this day's noon?

/-.-.-.-\

Watching the members of the Scouting Legion with amusement, Eliza crossed her arms as she leaned against a tree trunk.

"Are we just going to sit here and wait?" Achi asked, sitting cross legged next to her. "It's fine by me if that's what _you_ want to do, but I don't feel like sitting here when Ymir and Historia are over there." _Historia_, she smiled, _when had she started using Krista's real name like that_? "And why did you save me? There's got to be a reason behind that, right? I mean, it's not like you really-"

"I do care about you, Achi," Eliza said bluntly, cutting her off. The accent was still there, her real one, and it didn't seem like she was going to go back to the other anytime soon, if at all now. Sighing, Eliza cracked her neck. "I've never... met a person like you before, well other than Friedrich, but he's not here. That willingness to help your friends, even if it costs your lives, I admire that quality. If only those people back then had the same quality, maybe things wouldn't have turned out the way they did. Maybe if they'd have had backbones, if only..."

"Achi!" a voice was calling out repeatedly, getting closer. "_Achi_! Where are you?!" It was Fritz.

"I stand corrected, he is here, just not here with us."

Achi cursed, looking back. "That idiot..."

/-.-.-.-\

Commander Erwin looked behind all the Titans following him and Captain Ines's squad. His expression blank, he turned back around to face the Armored Titan. Since they'd swarmed around and started going after his weak points, he'd come up with a new plan. It'd been a few minutes since he'd ordered Ines to follow him back to the forest to get the remainder of the Military Police. Drawing the Titans along for the ride, he'd since come back, right the path of the Armored Titan and the rest. It was now the only way to stop them from escaping. As he and the Captain got closer and closer with the swarm of Titans behind, the group that'd been on the Armored Titan's back had jumped off, and as they did so the Armored Titan began protecting him chest with his arms crossed over in an X shape; _he was going to plow his way through the swarm_! Going around him, the Commander grimaced. "All units, disperse! Get away from the Armored Titan!" he shouted as it rammed down one of the larger Titans, which then collided with another and then another, bring all three to the ground at once.

Away from the swarm now, Captain Ines watched along with everyone else as the Armored Type was being attacked from all sides, fending them off as best he could. _It's no use, _she thought, as the Commander raised his coiled blade. _He can't keep them all back at once_.

"All units! Charge! The fate of mankind's existence will be decided by this moment! Without Eren, the future where mankind can inhabit this Earth will never come to pass! We'll take him back and return at once! Put your hearts to the task!"

At his words, everyone roared in unison and charged, the thrill of battle approaching swiftly.

Ines and her squad hung back behind the Commander, their priorities still on guard duty and Zena called over, asking if they should engage as well. Ines shook her head, just as the Commander was lifted by his arm from atop his horse by a Deviant as they still charged. Eyes widening, Ines yelled for them to start engaging _now_, even as the Commander kept on telling everyone to advance. Slashing at the nape of the Deviant's neck with one her throwing knives, she ordered Larrens to catch the Commander as he fell, then continued on digging out the Titan's muscle. To her left and right below, riding alongside, were Riecka and Zena, who were watching for anymore incoming threats. Alger had gone off with everyone else to charge the Armored Titan, having disobeyed her orders. She'd have to assume him already to be dead. If he came back alive, all the better, but with his nature, she doubted it. Smiling sadly as she cut into the last tendon of the Titan's neck, its body slumping over, she mourned the loss of another one of her comrades. Under the Titan was a flower, and she plucked it, placing it in her breast pocket for later storage. _Hopefully, only one of my squad will die today_. Even as she thought this, she prayed for him to come back safely. Larrens came up to her, nobody else with him.

"Where-"

"He went on ahead!" Larrens said, pointing. "I couldn't stop him, Captain! I'm sorry!"

"It's alright! Follow him!" she ordered back, spurring the three of them into action again. _She wasn't about to let the Commander go in alone_!

/-.-.-.-\

Smirking, Eliza continued on observing the action, though her boredom was growing quickly. "This is-"

"There you two are!" Fritz exclaimed, panting as he came onto the branch. "We... have to... help!" he said, pointing in the direction of Ines and the others. The fact that Eliza was here didn't surprise him at all.

"Oh?" Eliza retorted. "But they're retreating right now, so what are we going to do...? Help them escape?"

Fritz shook his head back and forth violently. "No! We have to help Reiner and Bertolt!"

"Those asswipes? I'll pass," Achi chimed in.

"Please! We need them! They could have valuable information that could help us! Plus," he balled his hand into a fist and gritted his teeth. "We can't just leave our friends to _die_!"

At this, Achi's eyes went wide. "You..."

"You're right," Eliza chuckled. "We can't have them dying just yet, now can we?"

Fritz blinked. "Did something happen to your-" Eliza was suddenly behind him now. He spun around, raising an arm. _When had she..._?!

_Fritz! Get away from her! I can feel her killing intent! _Annie shouted in his head_. It's the same as a Titan's!_

"What?!" Fritz continued his motion as Eliza caught his outstretched arm by the wrist, squeezing gently.

"Don't. I'm not going to do anything to you two." she said casually, smiling. Looking back at the retreating forces, she lifted her hand to her mouth. Reiner was now tossing Titans around, trying to squash them. "I'll handle this, you two just sit back and watch." Her smile was inhuman, curling at the corners of her face. Her eyes were murderous as she laughed. "Time to have some _fun_!" Biting down on her thumb, drawing blood, she leapt from the branch in a flash of bright white light. Coming out on the other side was a thirteen meter tall Titan, female in appearance like Annie's, yet more muscular with clawed hands and skin like Ymir's. Dark hair went down to her shoulders', curling at the ends in a spiky fashion. Eliza in her Titan form hit the ground running, and Fritz crawled on his hands to the edge of the branch.

"_Holy shit..._" he whispered as Achi now stood next to him; speechless.

/-.-.-.-\

Eliza charged the cluster of Titans at full speed, plowing into them as Reiner, Bertolt, and Ymir all moved away in surprise. Her smile from early was still on her face, almost like an inhuman mask of death and bloodlust, drinking in all the torment around her. Piercing her claws into heads and crushing bodies beneath her feet, Eliza quickly helped to clear the remaining Titans off the three of them – steaming as the blood started evaporating. She stood before them, amidst the carnage, still smiling, and glanced up at Ymir, who was still on Reiner's back. She garbled something unintelligible before bowing, probably clearing some torn tissue from her mouth, because she spat in on the already crimson soaked grass. It was a Titan's eyeball, and she didn't even give it a second thought as she continued to gaze up at Ymir, who tilted her head, before leaping off of Reiner's back onto the ground. Eliza's height was taller by a few meters, but that fact didn't change that Ymir was obviously in a higher standing amongst the Titans. Their black eyes met and Eliza's smile curled into a familiar smirk and she opened her giant mouth to speak, sharp teeth gleaming.

"Lord Ymir," she growled, disdain coating her garbled voice. Of all the Titans present, she seemed the most capable of fluent human speech. Since this was the case, Ymir turned around slightly to reveal her human form partially poking out of the nape of her Titan's neck. Her eyes were still focused on Eliza's, even in human form.

"Eliza. I remember you now, you were there at that time, all those years ago."

"Sixty years ago, to this day, I have served you, Lord Ymir. At my own shame, I have served you," a menacing chuckle rippled from her throat, "but now, I've seen a whole new side of you, and, it _intrigues_ me. The murder in your eyes, I no longer see it drowning black as sin, replaced by a compassionate twinkle."

"Someone like you wouldn't understand," Ymir started, then: "No, I take that back, you have, you just can't accept that _I've_ changed."

More chuckling, "Lord Ymir, it seems, that we've always been at odds, haven't we? If you'd allow," Eliza stood up and pointed a clawed finger at the giant forest, "let's move the discussion to somewhere more _civil_." She glanced at Reiner and Bertolt, who were silently watching the whole exchange, as Ymir's human form sunk back into the nape of her Titan's neck. Turning on her heel, she looked to be in agreement as she started off towards the giant forest where Fritz and Achi were still present. The other three followed her.

Fritz glanced between everyone in confusion as they all stood on the branch in a sort of circle; Achi to his left, Reiner and Bertolt were to his right, then Eliza and finally Ymir. Achi was glaring at Bertolt and Reiner, while they looked just as confused as Fritz, and the other two were intensely trying to stare the other down.

_Annie, what's going_? he asked in his head, but Annie was silent, and he guessed she was just as confused as he was, trying to process the situation all at once. He was going to try again when Eliza cleared her throat, her thick voice coming in clearly to them all.

"As I said earlier, we'll continue the discussion here, Ymir." She looked at each of them in turn, lingering on Achi, before going back around. "Now, the Coordinate, I saw that Eren had control of it."

"W-who are you?" Reiner blurted, his eyes wide. "How do you know about the-"

"I'm much older than you, _boy_, and," she nodded at Ymir directly across from her, "I'm much older than Freckles here." In the distance, the distant sound of hooves could be heard and everyone looked in the direction they were coming from.

"The meeting's being cut short," Ymir observed, scowling at Eliza. "_Lucky for us_."

Eliza smirked back. "Yes, lucky indeed." Then, turning to Reiner and Bertolt: "You two, I'll show you that the Coordinate isn't the only device that can control them."

"What do you-!"

She turned and went near the edge of the branch, looking down upon the approaching combined Legion and Military forces. "It looks like they couldn't just leave traitors to roam freely, eh?"

"Eliza!" Ymir yelled, stepping forward, but the other girl wasn't listening, her mouth assuming a bloodthirsty smile like before, when she'd transformed for the first since regaining her humanity. "_Eliza_!"

Fritz watched as Eliza went further and further out toward the end of the branch, casually walking there without a care in the world that strongly contrasted with the murderous look on her face and his brow furrowed. "Eliza!" he shouted, running after her. "Don't go down there!" He grasped her shoulder and waved a hand over everyone else. "I don't know what your motive, or their motives, are, but I don't want to see anyone else die!" His grip tightened on her shoulder and she stopped in her tracks, just at the edge's tip.

Her head bowed, she replied with all the cheerfulness of a cold-blooded murderer of children. "Friedrich," the muscles in her arm tightened suddenly, and in a flash, the palm of her hand slammed into the cartilage of his nose as she spun around. He fell back, blood gushing, and landed on the branch with a thud. "Sleep for a bit, will you?"

Ymir's eyes became clouded with rage and she came up beside Fritz along with Achi, who knelt down and tried to stop the blood with her uniform. "Eliza! What the fuck do you think you're doing?! He's not involved in any of this! You had no right to-"

"Shut the fuck up, 'Lord' Ymir! I had _every_ fucking right!" Eliza snarled back, her eyes orbs of death. Then, as quickly as it surfaced, her rage was gone, and she continued after a moment: "This limits his further involvement, with a broken nose like that he'll be out for a month, at the most. Unlike us, he can't regenerate. I'm doing him a favor. Only, the midget, she's in this as deep as those two boys behind her. And the girl back underground, her too. Though, all of you will be witness, there's no stopping what's to come..."

"You... fucking..." Fritz spat. "Bitch!" He slammed his fist into the side of Eliza's head to everyone's surprise, his face and hand steaming, the wounds closing up just like a Shifter's. "I'm not _against_ you, so why'd you-!" Eliza tottered then rebalanced and spat a tooth, wiped her mouth, then uppercutted him back. He went crashing into Reiner and Bertolt, the three of them slamming into the tree behind in one clump.

Eliza flexed her fingers and cracked her knuckles. "That's a new one, a human who can regenerate! That's just a riot!" She chuckled, her voice taking a dark turn. "Looks like I was wrong, Freckles, it seems Friedrich is in this as deep as the rest of us! Oh, and Fritz?" She was standing over the clump of them now, casting shadow. "If you ever hit me again, I'm going to skin you, got it?"

Fritz just glared up at her, as did Reiner and Bertolt, who weren't all too happy acting as his collision cushions.

"Good. Don't move from this spot, ok?" Eliza then turned, and without giving Achi or Ymir a second glance, stood at the edge's tip again. "Well, Ymir, are you going to stop me? Achi? No? Then," she smirked and drew a finger across her cheek, red from when Fritz had punched it, drawing a fresh line of bright red blood. "From this point on, I no longer serve you." She flicked the blood away with a grin, then leapt down and in a flash of light descended, landing with a crash as they started coming over the hill they'd retreated over hours before. As they stopped at the top, she drew herself to full height and bellowed an inhuman challenge.


	22. Rescuers

**Chapter Twenty Two: Rescuers**

As soon as Eliza bellowed her challenge, a new swarm of Titans clambered forth from the reaches of the forest, all shapes and sizes. They stood behind her, as if awaiting orders from their new lord. She sniffed the air and looked up at Ymir and the others in the tree, before walking towards the humans still positioned on the hill. They didn't move from their position, and it seemed strange to her, that they didn't attack or retreat. No, they knew as well as she did that attacking with so few numbers would be suicide, but she then wondered why then didn't they just retreat back to Wall Maria? Now a few meters from their position, she scanned the ranks for anyone she recognized, but saw nobody she knew. _Decoys_? She blinked big black eyes, then let out a gurgling laugh. She summoned her voice through her unintelligible garble and spoke to them, telling them to turn back or she'd unleash the Titans on their hapless lives. She'd show no mercy and have them torn limb from limb and bask in their dying screams. Still, they didn't budge. Slanting her head to the side, she continued to watch them, waiting. Wondering. From behind, there were groans and yells, and she could hear Ymir's roar in the background. They were tearing apart her swarm of followers, but she didn't care. They weren't important anyway. Just fodder, a distraction, until she'd make her way to the Coordinate and kill him. But, with the boy Eren not in sight, or anyone else that was of any significance to her memory for that matter, she turned back around and bellowed again. This time, it was to tell the remaining Titans to surge on Fritz and the rest. She knew they'd be defeated, the mindless pieces of shits, but again that wasn't her aim, to have them succeed.

She patiently watched as slowly, the numbers of the her gathered Titans started to dwindle, and upon seeing her opening, she plowed through them straight for Reiner. In his Armored-Type form, he managed to stop her momentum a bit, but she'd anticipated his actions and clawed at his eyes, rendering him blind as she moved on to Fritz and Achi, who were atop Bertolt's back. Glancing up the length of his body, she clawed and tore at the muscles in his ankles and he went down to one giant knee, kicking up bits of earth and dirt as he roared in pain. She took the opportunity to leap up, claw her way through his skinless flesh up to his head, and then snatch the two of them just as they tried maneuvering out of the way. Holding them gently in the palms of her claws, careful not to accidentally crush them, she left the battlefield and placed them enough distance close enough to the humans to retreat along with them. Once they did, grudgingly, she turned back to Ymir, who was still busy ripping apart her followers. Reiner and Bertolt had regained from their injuries and were also helping to mop up the rest of the Titans, when she plowed into Ymir and knocked her down. They clawed at each other until Reiner came over and sideswiped her with his fist, sending her flying into a tree. A bit dazed, she sprang to her feet again and just waited for them to kill the last of the Titans, then crept back into the forest. Her plan was setting in motion as she retreated. Coming out of her Titan form and lying on one of the higher branches, she looked down at Ymir, Bertolt, and Reiner, as they watched the combined forces of the Scouting Legion and Military Police escape with Fritz and Achi – supposedly the last two survivors of the battle. As soon as they went out of view, she decided after a few to come down to where the three other Shifters were, now all in their human forms standing in the grass amidst blood and intestines, bone, and flesh. Hands in her pockets, they glared at her as she approached.

"They'll be hunting you three, since they know your faces," she said, stepping over a dismembered Titan's finger. "You can't go back there with them."

"Shut up, you fucking bitch!" Reiner yelled, raising a fist.

"Eliza, tell us what you're really after here, I know it wasn't having us or them killed." Ymir said, calming Reiner in the process. "You just set loose a ton of them to be sheep to the slaughter and I want to know why."

Eliza shrugged, glancing around. "Is there a reason? I didn't recall ever having one."

"Bullshit!" Reiner retorted, and Eliza's face didn't change its blank expression.

"I just wanted them to die, those worthless shits," she kicked a chunk of flesh and watched it roll their way. "And, I wanted to show you two, or shall I say three, that you don't need the Coordinate to control the whims of a Titan's tiny brain."

"What's your motive? You have to have one, Eliza!"

"Oh? Why are you interested, Ymir? What do you gain out of my endeavors?"

"Are you planning on hurting anyone?" _She wasn't about to let her lay a finger on Historia, she'd make sure that'd _never_ happen_! "Is it revenge?"

Eliza stared at her for a long moment. "Revenge...?" she repeated, then turned to the sun, which was quickly setting beneath the earth. "No, it's not that. It's my _right_."

"What is? Just tell us! You're already set on carrying it on anyway, so-"

"The King. His death is what everyone here will be witness to. All the children, all the women, all the men, all the soldiers, all the warriors, all the Titans, and all the Shifters. He'll no longer rule – just another corpse in the body count." The three of them were speechless, so Eliza continued: "As I said, you three can't go back there, so what'll you do? Traitors, murders, thieves. Where will you go? Ymir," she stepped so close to the girl that Ymir could feel her hot breath on her cheeks, "I'll make it so nobody has to endure it any longer. The bloodthirst, the killing, the sorrow, the _pain_." She patted the other girl on the shoulder and leaned in for a whisper. _You can say it's my sincere wish, eh Lord Ymir_? Then, she walked away, leaving the three of them together in the field, surrounded by rapidly dissolving dead Titans and rotting human remains.

/-.-.-.-\

Fritz collapsed in a heap from the exhaustion of the previous battle. He and Achi had been taken where everyone had retreated to the Wall, only forty left from the original hundred still surviving. Most of them had injuries and only a handful were able to move about. Mikasa had gotten a crushed ribcage from being nearly squeezed to death, but as he touched his nose, it had already healed and reshaped itself correctly on his nose. Though, he could still taste blood in his mouth – and his head was burning fiercely. Everything was hazy.

_Don't try and move. Stay down. It appears that my abilities and yours have merged together somehow. Remember when you fought Mikasa in my underground prison? You were using my moves, when you have your own style and way of fighting. At first, I'd thought that my own skills had rubbed off on you more than I'd thought previously, but then, when that girl, Eliza, had destroyed your nose, I realized it. Your body started to heal the wounds, and in no time at all, you were well enough to get back up and fight._

_Annie? Is that you_? Fritz wiped hot tears from his eyes and looked up at the night sky, devoid of stars. Shouting and cries of the injured were all around him, but his only focus was on her voice. _Are you saying that I'm... like you? And Ymir, Bertolt, Reiner, and Eliza? Eren? That I'm-_

_I can't say for certain, but you show signs that you could be. It also appears that out of us all, you're the one who can heal the fastest, and that girl, Eliza, she's the slowest. When she'd gotten her arm hacked off, usually a Titan Shifter would start regenerating the lost appendage right then and there. Yet, hers continued spurting blood, and when we saw the stump later on, it still hadn't healed. I hadn't thought much of it at the time, but now, after seeing what's happening to you, I'm not so sure_.

_Does that mean we also share our memories too? I mean, I've seen bits and pieces of your life, so I take it you've seen bits and pieces of mine? Wait! What did you all see?!_

Annie's voice was barely a whisper, girlish even. _N-nothing, just how you've been..._

_I've been what? Annie? Annie!?_

_ … thinking about me... _a lot_..._

Fritz turned red and cursed himself because the pain in his head was getting worse as a result. "Ah, I..." he cradled his head in his hands and bent over, vomiting profusely.

_Fritz? What's the matter?_

"My head, it hurts..."

"Fritz!" Historia's voice called over, a second later the short blonde haired beauty had a delicate hand on his back, making sure he was alright. "You should take it easy, we've all overexhausted ourselves and-"

"I-I'm fine, just a headache." He laughed it off, but his face was pale and his eyes red.

"No, you're not! Here," she laid him on a blanket she'd had wrapped around her shoulders and parted the hair from his eyes. "Stay like this until we're ready to move back out. We'll have to transport you and Mikasa with extra care, along with a few others with severe injuries. The Commander, he's lost an arm." She said nothing for a few moments, and he knew she was thinking of Ymir, then: "We've all lost something, but that doesn't mean we should give up, or refuse the help of other people! So right now, you need to rest and we'll handle the rest!" She smiled down upon him and Fritz thought she looked like an angel in the moonlight, serene and majestic, gentle and kind. He now knew why Ymir liked her so much. A comfort from even the most unbearable of pains, a light shining in the darkness. That was the essence and person of Historia Reiss, and the facade that was Krista Lenz. As she stroked his hair, willing him to rest, to sleep, he thought of Ymir and the others. What was Eliza up to? What were her goals? How did she and Ymir know each other, and what, his eyes lazily went to Eren's outline further down the Wall, was this Coordinate that Eren now possessed? As his eyes became heavy, Historia's pleasant face turned into Annie's stern one and he fell asleep with the pain subsiding and his questions still burning.


	23. Hell Is Coming

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Hell Is Coming**

Sasha stepped outside the hut that she and the newly formed Special Operations Squad consisting of herself, Jean, Connie, Eren, Mikasa, Historia, and Armin were lying low in along with Captain Levi, feeling the gravel crunch beneath her boots as she made her way to her horse, tethered to a tree this time. Glancing around quickly to make sure nobody was watching, she got in the saddle and road to the nearest village. Luckily, when she'd taken a few of the provisions from their supplies, Armin hadn't noticed she'd taken more than just the one loaf of bread. Reaching down her shirt, she took out three extra pieces as she came closer to the village's outskirts.

Hopefully, Eren wouldn't haven't noticed her disappearance back at the hut, but she doubted that. Since Wall Rose had been considered Titan-free and safe the week before, he'd never let his guard down. Even when times were quiet, like now.

Galloping past the first few houses, she went down a side street and veered around the corner of the house they'd agreed upon earlier. It was away from prying eyes and backdropped by a forest, which one could ride through without being spotted onto the next village miles away. In the shadow of the house, she could see Jayce's horse, but no sign of the boy himself. Halting to a stop, she was about to call out when someone crept out from behind her horse's flank. Startled, her horse cried out and she fell, only to be caught by waiting arms. She stared up into Jayce's pleasant face and smiled awkwardly.

"I-I have the bread," she said, turning red as she held up the three pieces. Blinking, Jayce shook his head and chuckled.

"Sasha, that's only one piece. The other two are on the ground, by your horse's hooves."

Craning to look at her horse, she spotted the other two pieces, crushed underfoot, and frowned. Turning back to Jayce, she was about to utter an apology when he put a finger to her lips.

"It's alright. The refugees won't starve, they've plenty of food already." He set her down and crouched to get eye level, a hand over one knee. "One loaf of bread is all they need. Your dad, he said that I should just bring what I can, and-"

"But, this piece is for you!" Sahsa exclaimed, thrusting it in his face. "Here, take it!"

Jayce shook his head and pushed it back, then curled her hand around it, close to her chest. "No, it's yours." He smiled and stood up, taking her hand and hoisting her to her feet as well. "I'm not doing this for my own benefit, but for your dad's. I own him that much."

Looking down at the piece of bread, Sasha gulped and decided that it was best to split it, handing the second half to Jayce. "Well, I don't want you to be without anything," she said, smiling back.

Over the course since they'd escaped Sasha's village along with her father and the other surviving villagers, the two of them had grown close. At length, Jayce had spoken with Sasha's father, who was seriously considering having him marry into his family, yet he'd declined even when he'd secretly really wanted that to happen. Sasha hadn't been against the idea, but she also hadn't offered her hand in marriage. Besides, both she and Jayce thought that it was too soon to marry, still only teenagers. Rather, for the time being, it'd be better to remain friends.

Jayce had agreed to help her and her village in any way that he could, even if it meant going against the Legion, which was why he was running supplies between refugees. Since a particular incident during that one week of panic, he'd never leave Sasha alone again. It was when the food had started running low, and he had went with Sasha to gather more rations for the villagers, when he'd gone off by himself. That was when she'd been attacked by scavengers wanting easy pickings, and even though Sasha had fended them off, he couldn't bring himself to do that again. He'd vowed to her then to always be there for her.

Though, as he took off his cloth coat and put it around her shoulders, he really wanted something more. They sat under the shade of the house, next to their horses, absentmindedly eating their share of the one loaf of bread, when Sasha leaned over and rest her head on his shoulder.

"Do you think that everyone else is alright?" she whispered, clutching the cloth fabric tightly. "Fritz and the others, have you heard anything?"

Staring out into the woods, the light of the sun indicating that the time was dusk, he replied softly: "No, I haven't. They're still being questioned, as far as I know. I talked with Eletta yesterday, but she said she hadn't heard anything either."

"Is that so...?" Sasha's voice trailed off and she scrunched up closer to his chest for more warmth. "I hope they're alright."

Out of the corner of his eye, Jayce couldn't help but think how pretty she was. "I do too, we all do..." He held her for a few more minutes as the temperature steadily started to drop, and upon seeing her start to fall asleep, shook her gently. "Hey, you can't sleep, you have to get back, remember?"

Sitting up, she looked into his eyes. "But what about you? I can't just leave you here in-"

"I'll be fine. I'll tell your dad I couldn't get anything today, on account that it had to go to something more important," he replied, cutting her off abruptly. Her eyes, the way they sparkled, even in the shade, it captivated him and he couldn't hold it anymore. He leaned forward slowly...

As his lips approached hers, Sasha didn't back down or shy away, embracing him as they interloped to the sound of birds rustling in the trees. She'd come to really like Jayce, one of Fritz's closest friends, and ever since that incident, she'd liked him as something more than what she'd previously stated. As their lips parted, she wondered if this was to be the man she'd marry in the future. Her dad had already approved, and now, she was tottering on the edge on whether or not she'd accept him too. Blushing, she looked away and he let go suddenly, equally as embarrassed.

"Erm, yeah, you s-should be heading back now right?" he stuttered, his face redder than hers, as he scratched his hair, also looking away.

"Y-yeah," she replied, touching her lips and turning to her horse. "I should, shouldn't I?" Getting to her feet, she got in the saddle and stared down at him, smiling faintly. "I'll be, ummm, back tomorrow, ok?"

"Same time, I'll be waiting."

"I know."

Sasha didn't look back for fear that their eyes would meet and went away the way she'd come; night was quickly approaching. As she came towards the hut, she hoped that she hadn't been noticed and crept inside after tying her horse to the tree again, in the exact same spot, making sure not to make any noise as she plopped down in her bed belly first. Burying her head into her pillow, she couldn't get the kiss out of her head and again seriously considered her feelings.

Jayce slowly rode through the forest and stared down at his reins, shocked at what he'd just done. He'd actually done it! He wanted to shout but knew he couldn't and instead adopted a wide grin. Though, the grin was quickly replaced with a frown as he remembered Fritz. His friend, along with Achi and Eliza, had been rounded up along with everyone else who'd sustained some form of lasting injury or were suspected to hold likely information as to the Armored-Type, Colossal-Type, and Dancing-Type Titan's whereabouts. Also on any information regarding the newest one that had appeared during the end of Eren's rescue, which they'd dubbed the "Speaking-Type Titan", on account that it was capable of fluent communication. He wondered what they'd seen, to be still in Military Police custody even after a whole week and a few days had passed.

/-.-.-.-\

Fritz rattled his handcuffs on his prison cell bars, earning the attention of the guard on duty, a scruffy looking man who looked too fat to be a part of the Military Police, his uniform appearing to be uncomfortably constricting.

"What is it?" he sighed as he picked something from underneath a fingernail. "If it's about the trial, there's no stopping it in a matter of weeks," he smirked, "and just between you and me, I think you're gonna get executed, like that Yaeger kid almost was. Only, this time, yours won't be interrupted."

"Can I have some water?" Fritz asked sheepishly, ignoring the man's comment. "My throat is dry..." He opened his mouth and the man turned away in disgust.

"Gross, don't show me that kid! I'll get you some damn water if you stop doing that!"

"Thanks," Fritz said as he watched the man hurry out, then the moment he was gone: "Achi, hey Achi!" he whispered as loudly as he dared to the girl in the cell next to him, who was sitting on her bed, trying to sleep sitting up. "Achi!"

"What do you want, you stupid bastard?" she groaned and kicked the wall, cursing from how hard the stone was. "Unlike you, I'm actually trying to get some rest!"

"When do you think they'll bring Eliza back?" he asked, glancing to see if the guard was coming back, which he wasn't. "I mean, she's been gone for-"

"Does it really matter?" Achi retorted. "You know as well as I do that she'll come back when they're finished with all the questions they want to get answers to. Plus, she's a Shifter, I don't trust any of those fucks, not one bit, so you won't see me worrying over her sorry ass."

"But, what about Ymir?"

"That's... different. She's not a _moron_, like you."

"Oh, _thanks_, I-"

There was a muffled grunt and the door to the prison flung open, with Eliza striding in with a bloody hand. "Hey, still here I see. Let me take care of that for ya!" She came over and took a hold of Fritz's cell bars, then with inhuman strength bent them wide enough so he could squeeze through, then went and did the same to Achi's.

"What the fuck are you doing here?!" Achi exclaimed, easily squeezing between her set of bars.

"And where's the guard?!" Fritz asked, still in his cell.

"In a pool of his own blood," she held up her hand and smirked, "I made sure he was dead to. You should thank me for getting you both out." She turned on her heel and looked back at the door. "Now-"

"Wait, don't tell me you-"

"I'm sure you can guess, Friedrich. Now, as I was saying, we need to get out of here. They'll be looking for us shortly." Without hesitation, Eliza went through the door as Achi and Fritz hurried to catch up. Despite Fritz's protests, she didn't stop until they were standing on the bridge overlooking the spot where Annie had fallen off Wall Sina in her Titan form not even a month before. When they'd gotten halfway across, Fritz grabbed her shoulder and stopped her from moving. She turned slightly to fix him with a serious eye.

"It's none of your business, Fritz," she stated, shrugging his hand off, and walking the rest of the bridge's length. As she got to the end, she called over her shoulder: "You two better get away from here as soon as you can, they'll find the dead bodies soon enough," she said and pointed over the side before continuing on her way.

Fritz looked down and saw what she'd been referring to: four dead corpses, all wearing the familiar Military Police attire, were visible in bloody splatters on the ground below; she'd killed them all before they'd even made it far enough away from the prison! Scowling, he looked back to see that she had disappeared, and clenched a fist. _What was she up to_?

"Hey, _stupid_, I know this doesn't sit right with you, but she's right, we have to go. _Now_."

_Achi's right, Fritz. You'd better get away from there unless you want to have a harsher punishment put on your heads_. Annie's voice cut in, serious as always.

_But, we can't just let what she's doing go! She's-_

_ I know, but there's nothing you can do about it now. Right now, the only thing you and Achi should be focusing on is getting away and lying low. Once you've done that, I've come up with something I want the two of you to hear, but only once you're safe. _

_ But-_

"Fritz, we're going!" Achi exclaimed and pushed him forward and onward. She dragged him along, all the while hiding her own worry about what Eliza's actions were going to spell for all of humanity, and what her actions afterwards were going to create.

/-.-.-.-\

Eliza hummed a tune that had been lost for generations, as she walked the empty morning streets of the Stohess District without seemingly a care in the world. First, she'd get rid of Eren, the Coordinate, and then, she'd kill the King. _It was only a matter of time._


	24. Promise Me

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Promise Me**

Achi pushed her way past persons in the street who gave them both quizzical looks because of their attire, t-shirts and pants, hardly what was "appropriate" for a wealthy District such as Stohess. Ignoring them, she keep on going until they were so far away from the prison that she was sure nobody would come looking. Coming to a corner house that appeared to be seemingly abandoned, she slipped inside still dragging Fritz. Closing the door and heading up to the second floor, she closed the curtains to one of the many windows in the house, since it was the only one in the room she'd decided to settle in. Now, looking at him, she crossed her arms and waited. He was turned around, lost in thought, and appeared to be arguing with himself, then when she cleared her throat he turned to her and frowned. "What is it?" she asked, resolving to punch him if he said he had to go to the bathroom at a time like this.

"I need to tell you something, well, erm," he scratched his head and glanced down briefly. "I mean Annie needs to tell you something."

"Huh? What are you talking about? Annie isn't here," she replied, casting her hand across the room. "She's below ground in some giant self-imposed prison! Quit playing around!"

"No, that's not what I meant. She's here, in my head, my thoughts, I can... hear her voice."

"You're delusional."

"No, I-!" His reply was cut off as he cried out in pain and fell to his knees, shaking his head back and forth. "Annie...! W-wait, sto-!" Suddenly, he stood back up and his eyes were eerily familiar to the auburn-haired girl; _those same piercing eyes_. "Achi, what Fritz is saying is the truth. Back when I was sealed, somehow, our consciousness's reached out to one another and as a result we're linked in some unknown way. I can't explain it in detail, and I can't stay for long either, it causes him pain. This is the first time we've tried this, so I'm not sure what's going to happen once I've stopped communicating directly through him, but I desperately need you to hear this. I already told Fritz on the way here, but now it's your turn." Achi just stood there dumbstruck. "I need to you and Fritz to come to where I'm sealed and release me, you're going to need my help to take care of that girl, I've found that she's too strong for either of you two to handle alone." Fritz, no, _Annie_, turned to some of the decorations on the wall for a moment. "No, even the three of us together won't be a match for her. We'll need everyone else's help. But, before then, you're going to have to get me out. I'm not exactly sure how, but I know you and Fritz can do it. I believe in you two. After that, we're going to have stop her from taking down that suicidal bastard we all know. If it's her, even if other people are with him, even that Mikasa and that other one, Levi, she still has the upper hand. Achi, you nee-" Annie grunted in pain and clutched the right side of her face, "need to hurry. I'm not risking this again with Fritz, so jus-" Fritz's body collapsed to the floor.

"Annie!" Achi shouted as Fritz coughed and gagged, convulsing on the floor.

"Did... you..." he spat up a bit of blood and wiped his mouth as he struggled to look up at her. "Get the message?"

Achi nodded and helped him carefully to his feet. "Yeah, I did, but how are we going to...?"

"I'm not sure that we really can, we'll have to warn Eren and the others first. It's too risky otherwise. Annie has guards posted around her all the time, so going to the others first and telling them about Eliza is our best course of action right now."

"But Annie said-!"

"I know what she said! But we can't risk dying trying to get her unsealed, we'll be no use to _anyone_ if we do that! Especially not to her!"

Achi's features hardened and she walked to the door. "I know where we can steal some horses, come on," she said over her shoulder, her voice somewhat sad sounding. "If we're going to warn the others we have to hurry..."

"_Achi..._"

"Shut up, I know this is the right thing to do, but I don't want to abandon her or be abandoned by her again! When we get back, _I'll_..." Achi balled her hand into a fist and slammed it into the doorframe. She sighed and didn't say another word, sucking in her anger and going back down the steps.

Fritz followed at a distance and looked in every possible direction that he could just in case they were being secretly shadowed, all the while thinking to himself still what someone like Eliza would do all this for. He didn't hear Annie in his head anymore, and realized it must have been because of earlier, though he knew the connection wasn't severed because he could still see bits and pieces of her memories, so her voice was bound come back, eventually. With all that was going on, he desperately wanted to hear her voice.

As Achi came to the stable that held the horses she'd been talking about, she opened two of the gates and hushed the horses inside, then saddled the first one and motioned for Fritz to do the same quietly. As soon as he did, she instructed him to put on a raincoat as she did the same and led the way at a running pace towards the gates that led out of Stohess, flashing a Military Police patch, which looked to have been torn from someone's uniform and Fritz had a good guess where she'd gotten it from. He knew that she was relying on the Military Police's incompetence to get them through, and when the guard yelled for others to open the gate, he wasn't surprised. _Wait for us, Annie_, he said in his thoughts, hoping she was listening_, we won't be long. We'll be back to free you from that underground prison, just hang in a bit longer_.

Back in the underground prison, the crystal's smooth surface had a small surface crack, barely even visible. Inside, Annie's face was conformed with worry. _You two, you don't know what you're dealing with_. The crack became wider, deeper, longer, as her emotions were slowly rising. S_he's not like other Titans, she's not even human anymore, she's a true monster_. She could see the world through Fritz's eyes at the moment; Achi's twin-tails and her cape as she and Fritz passed through another gate swiftly. The two of them would die along with everyone else if they went there without her. She couldn't let that happen... she wasn't about to let that happen!

/-.-.-.-\

Now the two of them were nearing the village with two other companions, Eletta and Jayce, who'd spotted them when they'd galloped past the Scouting Legion Headquarters and decided to tag along. Jayce had been the one who was leading them now, through the forest that he was so now used to, and dead leaves were crushed by his horse's hooves as he went back over what Fritz had told him on the way. Eliza was really a Titan? And not just any Titan, but the Speaking-Type? Though, nothing surprised him as much as it used to anymore, and the only thing on his mind was that Sasha was in danger, and he glanced back, looking at the other three.

"We're coming up on the village now! After we clear that it'll be a straight run to where Sasha and the others are! It's supposed to be a hidden place, but is it possible that Eliza knows about it?!"

"We don't know! But assume that she does, she may even be there already!"

"We have to hurry then!"

"Annie told you guys that you couldn't defeat her with Eren and everyone else there, let alone Captain Levi and Mikasa combined! What difference does it make if we're there too!?" Eletta interjected, ducking under a low hanging branch. "Why don't the four of us just head back and get Annie?!"

Fritz clenched his teeth but didn't respond. He didn't want to tell them that he didn't want her to have to go through anymore fighting, anymore pain. Instead, he'd stop Eliza himself, it was the only way he knew would work that didn't get Annie any further involved. But, if what Annie had said were really true, and without a doubt now he trusted her instincts, he hoped that they'd get lucky enough that nothing tragic was going to happen.

As they cleared the forest and came into the village, it was the early morning; the sun was just peeking over the clouds, casting a dark orange hue over everything. Their shadows danced, reappeared, and disappeared as they went as fast they humanly could, leaving the outskirts of the village and rushing over a hill. Jayce led them further and further until they could see trees that had been recently chopped at and guessed in the direction the hut was in, veering off. After a time, they came to a clearing with a hut atop a rise. The hut looked very makeshift, and as Jayce peered closely he could see nine silhouettes present, instead of the eight that should only be currently there based on what Sasha had told him. With a cry, he increased his horse's pace, risking its heart exploding to come to Sasha's aid.

Eight of the people, of which Sasha was one, clearly came into focus, the ninth one facing them shook their head and laughed hoarsely, waving as it she'd expected their arrival all along.

"What took you guys so long?" Eliza asked, her adopted accent back. "Did you come to help us out,"

"What the hell are you going on about!" Achi fumed, jumping off her horse before it stopped and rolling to her feet. "Quit messing around you-!"

"Achi! Fritz!" Historia exclaimed, and after a moment, "Jayce and Eletta too!"

"Brat, what's going on here?" Captain Levi asked, his eyes going from her to the four that just arrived. "How did the five of you find out about this location?" His voice was calm, but it was apparent by his eyes that he was seriously angry.

"It's suspicious," Mikasa added, her glare fixed on Fritz.

"Guys, calm down." Armin said, easing the atmosphere, then to Eliza: "You said that you needed to tell us something, but you never said more people would be on their way. We need an explanation this goes any further."

"You're Armin, correct?" Eliza asked and the boy nodded, waiting for her to continue speaking as she looked at the other seven in turn. "Connie, Jean, Mikasa, Levi, Sasha, Krista, and... _Eren_..." Her eyes rested on the dark haired boy with a frightening intensity and he scowled.

"What? Do you have something to say or not! Quit stalling and tell us already!"

She smiled and looked to the sky briefly. "If that's what everyone wants, I'll oblige, it's only courteous after all, right?" Looking back at Armin, she was still smiling. "Armin, you seem to be the one with the best grasp of the situation here, so I'll ask you: what is that boy to you?" She pointed at Eren and caught Mikasa's glare. "I wasn't asking you, girl, I'm asking _him_. Armin, what if I were to tell you that I need him for a moment, would you be willing to give him up? Would all of you being willing, or..."

"What the hell is she-"

Without hesitation, Achi ran up and rammed into her. "Don't listen to her, she's-!"

In the blink of an eye, Achi's warning was cut off by a scream, blood spurting from a diagonal gash to her chest, as she fell to her knees and blood spat from her open mouth in shock. In Eliza's hand was a deep red coiled blade and before anyone could act she thrust it into Achi's stomach and pushed her over onto her back.

Eliza's face became dark and her voice cold as looked down upon her with scorn. "Don't interrupt me, _you fucking__midget_." Her accent was back to her true one, face contorted into a smile again, deathly similar to Annie's this time.

_Achi_... Annie's crystal shattered violently. Shards of various size flew in all directions as she fell to the floor, staying conscious by sheer willpower alone, her body exhausted and stiff. _I won't..._

/-.-.-.-\

"Achi!"

Historia and Fritz both flew to her side in a heartbeat as Eliza's face became dark and her voice cold. Blood was pooling from her mouth and chest wound profusely and Fritz fixed Eliza with more rage than he'd ever thought he was capable of.

"She's the Speaking-Type Titan! She's after Eren! Get away from her _now_!" he shouted as Eliza's hand went towards her mouth swiftly.

Everyone reared back just as Eliza's hand stopped midway.

"Aw, Friedrich, and here I thought you weren't against me," she mockingly pouted. "You could have stayed far away from all this and then Achi's life could have been saved, but it's too late for that now because everyone's going to die here, what a shame."

"Don't let her transform!" Armin shouted and Jean's face dropped as Eliza drew blood.

"It's too late!"

As light enveloped Eliza's body everyone scrambled down the rise towards the bottom, Historia and Fritz having to carry Achi. As they laid her down, Historia was crying as she knew her friend wasn't going to recover from the mortal wound, but Fritz wasn't about to give up on her. Putting his hands on her chest, he used all his willpower to try and use his regeneration to heal her, and miraculously, the bleeding stopped.

Her hands and the front of her uniform soaked, Historia stared at him in amazement as Eliza's Titan form appeared out of the flash of light. "H-how did you-"

He couldn't believe it himself. "I don't know, it just happened!"

"We have to check if she's still breathing!" Historia put her ear to Achi's right breast and listened for a heartbeat, but heard nothing, no pulse, and tore at the grass, still wet with dew from an early morning shower. "Dammit, goddammit! Achi!"

"No!" Fritz yelled and put his hands on her chest again, trying to do what he did moments before. "I won't let her die!"

"Guys, we have bigger problems to worry about!" Eren shouted, running up to where Eliza was looking down from the hut and biting his thumb, coming out in a flash of light in his Titan form. He collided with her and smashed into the hut as they grappled.

"He's right! There's nothing can do! We have to take care of the Speaking-Type!" Armin added. "_Krista! Fritz_!"

"No, I'm not leaving her side!" Historia shouted and watched as Fritz was still trying. "Come on, Achi! Don't give up!"

_You guys..._ Jayce thought as he looked to Sasha, who was pale and unsure how best to act. She appeared frozen watching Historia and Fritz. Pulling Fritz away, Jayce looked into his friend's eyes gravely. "Fritz, she's-!" He went to the ground as Fritz's fist impacted with his gut.

"Get out of my way!" Fritz rushed frantically back to Achi, and Jayce glanced back at Eliza and Eren as they were still going at each other.

"Everyone! Stay back and let Eren wear her down," Captain Levi ordered.

"But, Captain Levi-!"

"Something's different about this one, she's toying with him." the Captain said without missing a beat as he observed Eliza's evasive nature everytime Eren tried getting a hit in. "If you rush in there now she'll just kill you without even trying."

_Annie, __w__e need you_! Fritz shouted in his head as he poured all of his will into Achi, who still wasn't moving. _Annie_!

/-.-.-.-\

_I won't l__eave you alone anymore_! Annie crawled forward on her stomach using her shoulders, oblivious to everything else around her. _I promised that I'd protect you_! She was going to make it in time...

Her heartbeat faint, Achi could hear distant cries and shouts, but they were so far away that she couldn't make them out. All she saw was darkness. In that darkness, kept in a cage of loneliness, was something she'd thought she had buried a long time ago, but now...

_Eyes wide with fright and horror, Achi stared into the eyes of the top half of a human body; what once had been her mother. Now, her mother's intestines and stomach were hanging out from the torn flesh and muscle of her abdomen and the putrid stench coming from the juices that oozed from the opening, mixing in with the blood, caused Achi to involuntarily gag and cover her mouth to stop the vomit coming up her throat. Peering out from her hiding place in the chest her father had secured her in, she edged the lid further up to see if there was any sign of her father. In reality, she just wanted to keep her mind off the dead body of her mother and the giant hole in the wall of their kitchen that had been smashed clean through by some monster's giant fist. The hand, having reached in so quickly, had snatched up her mother like a doll and hoisted her into the air much to the family's shock and horror. Achi could still remember the wide smile on its face as it chomped down on the bones of her mother's waist, hearing the various cracks and tearing sounds as her mother screamed out in agony. Her father, always the quick thinker, rushed her inside the chest where the dry fruits and vegetables they usually got from their village's local market were kept._

_As Achi felt the wetness of the fruits soaking into her dress as she sat upon them and the leafy feeling of the vegetables as they pricked at her skin, she remembered when her father had ran out of the house in a desperate plan to lead whatever was attacking away. It had worked; Achi had seen the monster toss what was left of her mother onto the floor and start after her father. She had been silent the entire time, too scared to move. Her father had told her if he didn't appear for more than ten minutes, that was the cue for her to forget everything and run to the Leonhart's on the edge of the village. Her father trusted Mr. Leonhart – and anyone who he trusted she would trust too. After all, her father knew best who and who not to trust. It had already been five minutes since then, and now, seven minutes were up. Three more, and she would pop the lid and make a break for it. She didn't want to leave her mother, but there was nothing that could possibly be done to save her, and for all she knew, her mother was already dead. If she were still alive, her mother would have told her the same thing as her father, she would have held her and said: "There there Achi dear, everything's going to be fine. It's alright, your father is here to protect us"._

_The only thing coming out of her mother's mouth was blood and spit, gurgling up from her throat and pooling behind her head. So much blood. Before she realized it, Achi was staring at the body of her mother again and peeled her eyes away, frantically looking for anything else to grab her attention. Anything at all. That was when she heard a scream, a multitude that rose up as if from the depths of hell itself and drowning out everything else. The ten minutes were up; she bolted for the back door, not caring if she cut herself on the hinges and tore her dress – she had to get out of there. She had to get away. She had to get to the Leonhart's like her father had told her, and like her mother would have told her – if only her legs would carry her. They were shaking as she stumbled over grass and rocks, stubbing her toes and feeling the itch of weeds. Pain. Fear. Anxiety. Loss. She didn't want to feel any of it anymore, tears streaming down her cheeks as she flew through the morning breeze, not looking back._

_Zipping past homes and ducking under debris, she didn't want to think about all the people getting eaten like her mother had been. She didn't want to hear their tormented screams, see their tormented faces, and feel their tormented emotions. It was all too cruel. These monsters, they were all too cruel. Sliding up against a broken wall, she peeked around the corner, the Leonhart's house in sight. A way out of the hell surrounding her that was engulfing the village she had grew up in in flames. That was when she heard it; a loud crashing sound. Footsteps. White with fright, she glanced behind and saw them – the monsters. They were ripping apart houses and catching the people still trying to flee. It was best to look away as soon as that happened – there was no escape once you've been caught. Not wanting to waste anymore time, to have to look about at the scenes unfolding behind her, she sprinted with all her might to the Leonhart's house, coming up one of its sides moments later. It was then that she heard voices around the corner where the front door was located. She hugged the edge of the wall and concentrated on what was being said._

_"I want you to treat this whole world, this cruel world, as your enemy," a man's voice shakily said. It was deep and strong sounding, and Achi guessed it must have been Mr. Leonhart. She listened closer, only partially catching his next words. "...will curse and resent you..." he was sobbing now, "remember that your father will always, always, always, be on your side." He was obviously talking to someone else, but she didn't know who as they hadn't spoken yet. "So please, promise me..." Curiosity getting the best of her, she decided to peek around the corner: crouching down eye level with his daughter was in fact Mr. Leonhart. Annie was two years older than her, and their parents had often organized get-togethers where the two of them would play with one another. It was then that hope filled her: if she could trust anyone it would be Annie. There was a look in her friend's blue eyes, the resentment and hatred, that she couldn't see. No, that she denied to see. Annie could be trusted – she was her best friend, after all. Annie's father continued. "Promise me something. Promise me you'll come back."_

_Achi decided now was the best time to reveal herself and came forward, knocking over a bucket of water in her haste and further injuring her foot._

_"Who's there?!" Annie's startled father shouted as he searched for the source of the disturbance. His voiced softened as soon as he saw his friend's daughter standing there. "Oh, it's only you, Achi," he said softly. "Where's your father?" he asked, and upon seeing the look in her hazel eyes and a shake of her head, a tear filled his eye as he smiled sadly. "I see." Turning to his own daughter, he continued to smile sadly into her eyes. "You take Achi with you, you hear? Don't leave her behind."_

_Annie didn't responded, instead shifting her eyes from her father to her friend. Her eyes softened, the resentment and hatred turning into understanding and companionship. "Alright, father."_

_"Good girl," her father replied, waving Achi over. Achi stumbled forward, tripping in her haste, and falling on her knees. She couldn't take it anymore: all the pain, all the sadness, all the loss. It was eating away at her inside. Smiling as best she could, she wasn't going to cry, and got up on her own two feet with Annie's assistance. Looking into the eyes of her best friend, it was always nice to have another to be able to count on. Annie smiled back, helping Achi the rest of the way._

_Annie's father went inside the house for a fresh change of clothes for Achi and extra for the both of the two girls as the journey they were about to undertake was going to be a long one. Though, he didn't bring out much else as he didn't want to burden them. He put his hands around both their shoulders and pulled them closer. "Promise me you'll come back, alright you two?" Releasing them, he tried to fight the tears in his eyes as he turned them around to leave._

_Not looking back, Annie led the way out of the village with Achi following close behind. Unlike Annie, Achi looked back and took one last glimpse of Mr. Leonhart as he waved them off; the village behind all but destroyed. Turning back to look at Annie for courage, she couldn't help but feel scared at the journey they were only just starting._

_It was now midday, and the two girls were making steady progress on their trip. The evening was humid and didn't bode well for the unprepared, but luckily the two of them weren't._

_"Where are we going?" Achi asked Annie, carrying the sack of extra clothing Annie's father had given them for the trip. This was the first time she had the courage to speak up since they left the village hours before._

_"Wall Rose," Annie replied as she stepped over an upturned rock in the wooded area she was leading them through. Putting a hand of one of the smaller trees to support herself, she climbed over a ledge and turned back to help Achi up. Once the two of them were on the higher ground, Annie removed the sack of fruit, vegetables, and water she was carrying by a stump. Sitting down next to it, Achi followed her example, removing her own sack from her shoulders and setting it next to her best friend's, then situating herself as close to her as possible. They had traveled a total of three miles thus far and it would take them at least a few days more to get to Wall Rose._

_The thing they needed most of all was sleep and Annie knew that perfectly well, as she looked over at her younger friend. She watched Achi as the girl curled her knees closer to her chest, trying to keep warm from the cold air that was soon to come with the night. Annie watched as she puffed her cheeks in childish annoyance, probably thinking why her father hadn't given them a blanket to use. She wondered about the best way to get to Wall Rose from here. Achi must have been wondering the same thing, because she glanced over at Annie – making eye contact._

_"Hey Annie," she said softly, scooting closer, "how long will it take us to get there?" she asked, sniffing then wiping her nose on the sleeve of her shirt. Annie's father had given her the first thing he had grabbed, and it had happened to be his wife's clothing, meaning that it was much too big for the seven year old Achi. It looked almost comical, if it wasn't for all the dried dirt caking the ends of the sleeves and pant legs from when she'd fallen into a mud puddle earlier._

_"A couple of days," Annie replied, her legs spread flat out in front of her. The cold didn't bother her as much as her friend; she had become accustomed to it after training with her father all the time. How to disarm an opponent, how to knock them down, limit their actions; to fight both defensively and offensively. Curling one of the hands at her side, she was thankful for all her father had taught her – even if that was the only thing she was thankful for. It was enough. Though, as she stared into the trusting face of her friend, she speculated if they didn't get to the Wall within those couple of days, there was no doubt that the things that had attacked the village would eventually catch and eat them too. It was only a matter of time. Annie didn't want to scare her friend about the direness of their situation just yet, and, if the need arose, she would use that "power" to get them to safety. Looking up at the sky overhead, Annie wondered if anyone else had made it out of the village alive, and if so, did they have the same idea as the two of them?_

_Achi inclined her head, trying to see what Annie was staring at, but there was nothing in the sky, not even stars – and she shuttered, not from the cold, but from the blanket of darkness that was now the sky. Evening had ended too quickly and it had felt like ages ago since she had last seen the village, even though it had only been a few hours. The long sleeves of her shirt made it harder to grasp things and her pants dragged, even after she had rolled them up. Still looking towards the sky, she wondered what Annie's father had meant by "treating the whole world as your enemy". What could he have possibly meant by that? She glanced over at Annie, who was still focusing her attention of the sky above, and quickly dispelled any thoughts that she was an enemy in her best friend's eyes. After all, Annie had taken her along because she was her friend. Friends weren't supposed to be enemies. Huddling her legs even closer to her chest, feeling the dried dirt and mud caking her pant legs against the shirt, Achi sighed quietly to herself; wishing all of this was just one bad dream as she slowly started dozing off to sleep._

_Annie blinked, turning her attention back to her friend, only to see her fast asleep with her head resting on her knees. Smiling to herself, Annie reached out and touched Achi's auburn hair, pulling out a small twig that had gotten caught up in it. Staring down at the twig in her hand, Annie wondered if the two of their lives were about as significant as this twig – easily plucked and discarded. Worthless. Trash. Scum. She didn't want to believe that – that she and Achi were scum, but she couldn't help but feel worthless about the whole situation. Besides her martial arts skills, there was really nothing else going for her, and as she glanced over at her friend again, she smiled knowing that Achi's heart was what really kept her intact on this journey. The next couple of days were going to be long and tiresome, but Annie was glad to be spending them with her friend. That is, until the happiness would come to an end and they would have to part ways. After all, her father had told her to "treat this whole world, this cruel world" as her enemy and that meant even over her friend. For now, she was content to stay like this for awhile, even if meant going against her father's wishes. Achi was important to her, she couldn't just leave her behind to fend for herself. The very least she could do was get her to as close to Wall Rose as possible – as a friend. Closing her hand around the twig, she gripped it tightly between her fingers as if to suffocate the belief that the two of them were worthless, trash, and scum. Holding it up to the sky, she stared at it in the low light as the first star twinkled brightly in the darkness. Tossing the twig as far as she could, not able to hear where it had landed, she reached her hand out to the star, grasping it between her fingers as if breathing life into a new belief – that the two of them had hope, that they were going to get through this ordeal together, and that she would return to their village one day. No matter what the cost._

_Hefting her now almost empty sack of fruits, vegetables, and water, Annie stepped her way lightly across the edge of the grasslands they had just trekked through. Seeing Wall Rose up ahead, she looked over her shoulder to check on Achi who didn't have as much physical endurance as herself. Her friend was slowly making her way through the tall grass, getting caught and tangled every few steps. Annie was about to stop and give her a helping hand, but one look at Achi's face made her rethink the idea. Her face was only that of pure determination and heart – she wouldn't let blades of grass stop her from reaching her goal. Instead, Annie decided to just wait on the edge of the grasslands for her friend, scanning the way ahead for any dangers. The fields in front of Wall Rose were bare and very open, there was a paved road leading to the gate, and as she looked up the length of the Wall, the gleam from the cannons positioned at the top blinded her slightly. She could also make out dark shapes moving around up there, most likely guards, and shielded her eyes from the sun's beams continuing to scan the rest of the area._

_Achi could see it just ahead of Annie: Wall Rose. There it was! Barely able to contain her excitement, she tore the rest of her way through the tall grass to get a better look, coming up beside Annie who was looking around. Annie still had her sack, but Achi's had gotten torn and they'd decided to ditch it a day before – there wasn't anything in it anyway, they had already used up all the spare clothing. Still, Annie had thought the empty sack would have come in handy for some other purpose and Achi had agreed. After all, she trusted her best friend. Now, smiling at the scenery in front of her eyes, Achi could scarcely believe that the two of them had made it this far in only a couple of days. It had been hard, walking through rough terrain almost non-stop and only resting when it was safe. She herself had spotted no monsters, but Annie was always alert, so she never let her guard down just in case. There had been times when Annie would disappear for a long length of time when she'd thought her to be asleep, but Achi was usually awake. She just couldn't fall asleep knowing Annie wasn't around – and observed that Annie usually came back early in the morning. It was odd, but Achi thought nothing more of it after it happened the first time. She just dismissed it as Annie looking for the right path, or scavenging for food for them to eat, or water for them to drink. Nothing mysterious or secretive. After all, Annie trusted her too, right? Doubt was at the back on her mind, even if she didn't want it there or believe it. "Look Annie," Achi exclaimed, shaking Annie's shoulder and pointing to the Wall in the distance, "we made it!"_

_"Yeah, we did." Annie replied softly, now looking towards the Wall herself. Achi saw her smile sadly, as if something were about to make her cry._

_"Annie? What's the matter?" Achi asked, trying to look at her face. "Did you hurt yourself?"_

_"No, it's just..." she turned to look at her friend, a tear forming at the corner of her eye. "We did it. We reached the Wall."_

_"Annie..."_

_"Let's go, Achi, we still have a little bit farther..."_

_"Ok!" Achi exclaimed again, her worries of Annie's sadness now a distant thought. Her best friend was fine – and even if she wasn't, Achi smiled knowing that she'd be by her side to help her along. She started after Annie as her best friend took the first steps forward to finishing their goal._

_Annie walked along the paved road that led to Wall Rose slowly, contemplating all that had happened so far. She glanced behind at Achi, who was gazing up at the battlements on top of the Wall. Turning back around, she couldn't help but feel pain, guilt, at what she was going to do next. She had to do it though, for Achi's sake. After a few more minutes of walking, she stopped and knelt over, presumably from exhaustion. It was at that moment that Achi rushed over._

_"Hey! Are you ok?!" Achi yelled, coming up beside Annie as she was breathing heavily. She went to touch her best friend's back, but Annie lifted a hand._

_"I'm fine Achi! You go on ahead of me," she reassured, waving her forward. "I'll catch up, ok?"_

_Achi was still worried, but decided to trust Annie's judgment and took the lead. She kept her pace slow for her childhood friend to catch up easier, and started humming a tune her mother had always sang to her as she came closer to the Wall. They had made it, they had traveled from hell and came to find hope again – in the form of the menacing fifty meter walls of Wall Rose, and beyond it: safety._

_Annie watched as Achi got farther ahead, and it hurt her to see her childhood friend slow down for her sake – knowing what she was about to do. As soon as the time was right, Annie got to her feet again and slowly caught up behind her friend._

_"Hey Achi, thanks for waiting," she said softly, moving a hand above her waist._

_Achi looked back, smiling warmly. "No problem! We're best friends, after all!" she exclaimed, turning back to the Wall. She started to lift a finger, pointing towards the Wall. "Hey, do you think-" Her next words were cut off as Annie brought the side of her hand swiftly down on the back of her neck, causing her to stumble forward in surprise. They were just a few meters from the entrance gate by that point, and her vision was blurry as she heard Annie shout behind her._

_"Hey!" She rushed forward waving her arms. "My friend's hurt! Someone help! Please!"_

_The last thing Achi saw as she fell was Annie's hazy form waving frantically, and as she hit the ground, she heard the sound of approaching soldiers ready to lend a hand._

_Waking up hours later, she bolted upright in a bed she didn't recognize, in a house she wasn't familiar with, and could smell food baking that she didn't know who was making them. Frantically searching around, finally finding a window to peer out of, the streets were packed with refugees, and she saw no sign of Annie. It was then that she heard a door open next to her bed._

_"Oh? You're awake already?" an old man asked, shuffling inside with a plate of cookies. "I didn't think you get up so quick! When they brought you here, you was' out cold." he finished, setting the plate down at a small table next to the bed. "How are you feeling?"_

_Achi didn't want to respond to his questions, only wanting to find her childhood friend. "Where's Annie?!" she exclaimed, looking from the window, to the old man, to the open door._

_"Who?" The old man replied, scratching his beard. "There's nobody here with that name. Are you sure you're alright, missy?" He looked into her troubled face, then smiled in understanding. "Ah, I'm sure she'll turn up – she was probably the one who brought you here after all." Ruffling her hair, he got up from his seat next to her bed and stretched his back, gazing out the window. "When they had brought you here, all alone, I knew I couldn't just leave a little girl to fend for herself out there in that mess." He smiled again, looking to her now. "You get some more rest and I'll come by to check on you later. Then, when you're feeling better, we'll go look for this Annie of yours. Is it a deal?"_

_Achi nodded, thanking the old man for his kindness and understanding, then watched him as he left the room and shut the door behind himself. Looking now at the plate of cookies, Achi didn't know what to feel as she reached for one – hungry now that there was food in front of her. She took a bite of the cookie and stared at the rest of it in the palm of her hand, remembering the words Annie's father had said to his daughter back then: "I want you to treat this whole world, this cruel world, as your enemy". Continuing to stare at the cookie, she added the lines "and everyone in it" to what he had said, wondering what Annie was doing right at this moment. She wondered if she was really an enemy in Annie's eyes or still her friend. Her very best friend. She hoped that deep down that – that was the case._

"_Annie..._"


	25. Search for Me, Find Me, And Then

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Search For Me, Find Me, And Then...**

_Each bite of the stale loaf of bread made her all the more thirsty as Annie watched the kids playing in one of the many streets that went through the Trost District. Crumbs fell onto her shirt and she didn't feel the need to wipe them off on account of her laziness. The house where Achi was staying was in front of where the groups of kids were playing, and Annie patiently watched the window, to see if she could catch any glimpse of her friend. After what had happened, she couldn't blame Achi if from that point on she'd be resented and ignored. She'd prepared for those encounters in advance, just like her father had told her to. Finishing the last of the bread, she gulped it down with a bit of difficulty, her mouth dry, and thought now was the best time to go looking for some water to wash it away. She knew that there was a well on the side of the house Achi was staying in, which was another reason why she always came back despite leaving her friend here weeks before. It was convenient, to say the least._

_Moving to the side of the house, Annie hugged the corner and peered around, checking that there was nobody present. Another beat. Still nobody in sight. She dashed to the well and quickly rotated the handle, the bucket weighted down heavily with water. It didn't matter if it wasn't fresh, she'd find someplace to boil it later. Taking out a canteen she procured from a drunk, screwing the lid off, she filled it to the top and then hastily let go of the bucket as she heard someone coming. Running back to the shadows, she dared to peek._

_Slow, groggy, and seemingly unhappy, a girl with long auburn hair in a gown made her way to the well as she rubbed her eyes. Annie held her breath as she watched Achi scratch her head at the bucket, hiding from view as she looked around in confusion. Finally, she shrugged and took the bucket in both of her tiny hands and, struggling to haul the load, went back inside the house where the old man was surely to have a fire ready. She was envious, even though she had no right to be. Regardless of how she felt, lingering any longer was bound to raise suspicion and Annie went away. When she was halfway across the street she suddenly stopped and looked down at the paved ground; she couldn't resist her urge to see her friend one more time._

/-.-.-.-\

Reaching the door from her crawl, she put a hand to the frame and paused to catch her breath. Achi was in trouble, she was dying. Pulling herself up, she eased open the door and found that nobody was there, just like when Fritz had tried to rescue her. Not having time to dwell, she felt along the wall as she walked for support, careful not to get in the light of the torches lest someone really was there, waiting in the shadows to subdue her. The corridor was rather long, but finally it split off, and she guessed this must also have been the same way that Fritz and the others had used to get to her. Pushing off the wall and going to the one on the new corridor, she slowly made her way up, since it led to the surface. She hoped that the sound of her boots scrapping the ground wouldn't alert anyone to her presence, if they hadn't heard the crystal shatter already. She needed to get there before anything else happened, so there wouldn't be anymore casualties. Through Fritz's eyes, she could see that he was still trying to revive Achi, who's eyes had fluttered briefly. Quickening her pace, she stumbled and fell again, getting back to her feet in the same instance. She wasn't about to be put down now, she had to get there no matter how much it caused her body to hurt. Her spirit wouldn't let her stop, wouldn't let her quit, wouldn't let her lie down and accept.

The light of the morning blinded her as she exited the underground prison, covering her eyes from the sun. Passerbys looked at her with pity and contempt for her uniform was now caked in dirt, dust, and grime, but none dared say anything since she still wore the insignia of the Military Police. Moving down the street, she wondered why there had been no guards posted and got her answer when a lone woman with black hair that went down to her shoulders, dark brown eyes that held a tempered fire, and wearing a Scouting Legion uniform stood before her. The woman had two throwing knives at her belt and she was absentmindedly thumbing them. Annie backed away, no sure what she wanted. From Fritz's memory, she knew this was his older sister, Ines, but based on the woman's actions, Annie knew she couldn't trust her like she did Fritz. When she tried backing up a bit more something solid was blocking her retreat and looked up into the eyes of one of Captain Ines's subordinates. She had medium length blonde hair with red streaks that went to her shoulders and was holding it away from her forehead by a hand to see Annie clearly. It was Captain Ines's second in command, Riecka.

"Don't move," the woman said, not moving herself to subdue her, but nonetheless Annie could feel she could at any moment if she wished, or, if Ines commanded. The woman grabbed her head and turned it forward, to Ines again, who had come closer and motioned for Riecka to let go. Before she could, Annie shook her off and stepped forward, locking eyes with the dark haired Captain.

"Let me go, I-!"

Ines held up a gloved hand. "We know. My team and I are coming as well," she waved a hand above and Annie saw that two others were strategically positioned on rooftops within close proximity just in case she tried anything rash. "I need to see this Speaking-Type for myself, but before that I want to hear directly from you first before proceeding: what exactly are we dealing with?"

Annie fixed a strand of hair and took a step forward, side to side with the Captain. "A girl with nothing to lose," she whispered into Ines's ear as she passed, the Captain unfazed as she ordered her team to gather the horses and secure a spare. Annie stood to the side as a horse was brought over then jumped into the saddle, all the while thinking about Achi. Fritz had managed to get her breathing steadily, so now it was unlikely that she'd die from her injuries, which he had healed externally anyway. The wound to the stomach, though, she was worried that he couldn't heal internal injuries. The mysterious powers of the Titan Shifters were still being discovered and worked out, tested, so there was no telling what his healing abilities were yet capable of. Then there was Eren, able to control Titans by his emotions alone. She had to be careful approaching, since there would surely be unresolved tension between everyone. Though, she knew that if nobody else was, that Fritz would defend her. _Even if the rest of the whole world curses and resents me_.

As they went through the gates leading to the stretch of land, onwards to the next District, she also had a feeling that Historia, Jayce, and Eletta would also be on her side. The problem was Mikasa. There was no telling if she'd try to kill her outright or not. The hunch was that, given her recent actions, like when she'd threatened to kill Historia if she got in her way, that an attempt was likely. She clenched a fist tightly; this time, if it came down to it, she'd kill her. Theirs was a fight to the death, it seemed.

"Annie, focus!" Ines called over her shoulder. "This isn't the time to let your emotions get the better of you!"

Nodding, Annie looked up; The Special Investigation Squad had boxed her in on all sides, with Ines in front, Larrens and Zena to either side, and Riecka taking up the rear. Alger was nowhere in sight. "Weren't there five of you?" she asked, knowing the answer but wanting to hear it from the Captain herself. She was unlike Fritz in some many ways, yet they held that same fire in their eyes that intrigued her. _Fritz..._

They rode in silence until they cleared two more Districts and Ines finally decided, since they've made it close enough to their destination, to answer that question:

"He went down last week, during the failed operation to capture both the Armored-Type and Colossal-Type. As we know them now, Reiner Braun and Bertolt Hoover. Ymir, the Dancing-Type, also escaped along with them and currently we don't know their whereabouts, and I'm sure you don't either. Am I correct?" No response as Annie was listening intently. She continued: "As it stands now, we deal with the Speaking-Type and think of nothing else. Alger went out the way he wanted to, fighting to his last, so there is nothing to regret." Ines took the time to turn back briefly and lock eyes with her again. "There's no such thing as a regret to me anymore. Everything sacrificed is for humanity, everything lost is on our hands, and everything gained is a step closer to figuring out what the Titans really are." With that, she turned back to the front and quickened her horse's pace, forcing everyone else do the same, their horses near the breaking point.

Annie stared at the Scouting Legion insignia on the Captain's cape as it fluttered around and thought that before this moment that the two of them had been similar. But now, Annie knew better. Unlike Ines, she wasn't one to throw regrets away and surge forward unshaken, she wasn't the type to abandon others to their fates, and she wondered now: _when had that changed_? When had she starting thinking this way? Fritz's face came to her and then she realized it; no, she had it known all along.

/-.-.-.-\

_Annie was crouched under the windowsill as the old man and Achi sat at a dinky little table that was barely enough for both their plates, and eavesdropped on their conversation as they began to talk._

_"Aren't you hungry, Achi?" the old man asked softly, the sound of his own utensils clearly heard. Even if she wasn't going to eat, that didn't mean he had to starve along with her. "Is it about-"_

_Annie heard Achi's first slam on the table, her plate and glass as they shook. "It's not about her! Forget her, she's just trash that's better off nothing being looked for!" the young girl shouted hysterically, and, even in her anger, she couldn't hide her lingering sadness. The tears. "She's not coming back, we'll never find her in this stupid place!"_

_"Nothing's ever hopeless, Achi," the old man replied. "If we don't find her tomorrow, or the next day, or even the day thereafter, I know she'll pop up eventually, perhaps by accident, perhaps by fate's hand, but the one thing I do know is that it'll happen because you've been trying so hard for her, yet she herself never knowing."_

_"Old man..."_

_"Now, quit moping and eat your food or it'll go to waste and you'll waste away, then what will you have to show your friend when you see each other again? Skin and bones, or a full stomach ready and rearing to confront her again?"_

_"I..." Achi sneezed and wiped her nose with a piece of cloth. "Ok..."_

_"Good girl," the old man smiled as his voice became soft again. "That's the look I want to see, the girl I first met. That resolve. Never lose sight of that, you hear?"_

_"Ok..."_

_Annie moved away from the window and back to her perch in the shadows and balled one of her hands into a fist. Achi... A tear welled her eye, but she wouldn't let it fall. No matter how much she wanted it to. She had to for her sake._

/-.-.-.-\

They'd come within in the village, the hut not much further ahead and Ines smiled as Annie went swiftly past her. She could see what Fritz saw in the girl, and hoped that he wouldn't have to see what happens, if it happens, when the person you love is taken from you. Without hesitating, she commanded her three remaining squad members to follow her orders and to protect Leonhart at all costs until they arrive safely. _"I'm giving your jurisdiction of this operation, Ines, since I trust in your judgement. Use whatever means that you have to to see that it succeeds"_ was what the Commander had told her, and she knew that when it reached its conclusion that there would be no happy ending.

/-.-.-.-\

Jayce purposefully placed himself in front of Sasha, as Eren was getting more and more frustrated at Eliza's evasiveness, causing more destruction of the forest behind the hut. Each time Eren went for a jab or a punch, she'd easily maneuver out of the way, but then do nothing else. When he tried to kick or grab at her, the same thing would happen, and Jayce realized immediately that her goal was to wear him down to the point of exhaustion, where at that point he'd be an easy target. He could also hear Fritz's voice as he was sweating profusely, still trying to keep Achi breathing. As Jayce looked over, he thought that his friend should just give up on her, and it may sound cruel, but her wounds had been fatal, and it was only a matter of time before she succumbed to them. Feeling Sasha's hand on his sleeve, he spun and smiled warmly to reassure her that everything was alright, expecting to she her afraid, but instead it was quite the opposite.

"We can't stay standing around here much longer," Sasha said, looking beyond him at Eliza and Eren in their Titan forms. "Sooner or later, they're going to bring the fight down on us. And, what's more," she held up a hand and then pointed down at the ground. "Do you feel that? Those tremors. It's the same feeling back at the castle!" _Titans_. She turned back and pointed now in the direction of the village. "They're coming from that way! It's faint, but moving very fast!" Looking him in the eyes now, her eyes were grave. "If we just stand here, we'll get crushed without a second thought!"

Being crushed. Jayce remembered Lund getting killed by the Female-Type Titan and again looked in Fritz's direction. _But Annie is still inside that crystal! Unless, Fritz, did you somehow manage to free her_? If he did release her, did that mean she's on their side now? What if Fritz was secretly a part of her, Reiner, and Bertolt's plans to take down humanity? But, no, that wasn't like him at all to just switch sides like that without telling anyone! Especially his friends; so then, what-

"Everyone, move out of the way!" a woman's voice commanded as four riders were coming in on horseback.

Had what Sasha felt been how swiftly they were moving, having been wrong about the presence of more Titans? No, there was definitely something else out there, but perhaps they had stopped, lying in wait for the best moment to strike? Jayce's thoughts were interrupted when Annie, one of the riders on horseback, came galloping to a halt just in front of the rise that led to the now destroyed hut, everyone looking at her except Fritz and Historia, who were still working on Achi. Annie glanced at them, a look of rage on her face.

"I told you guys to wait for me!" she said, a certain sadness present in her tone of voice, despite her obvious anger.

"Annie! What are you doing here!?" Armin interjected, as Mikasa glared at her, a blade in one hand. She'd been wanting to assist Eren the whole time he'd been fighting with Eliza but Captain Levi had strongly ordered any of them to not get involved. Now, all that pent up longing was directed towards Annie, who glared back briefly.

"No time to explain!" the woman from earlier shouted, her and the three others with her coming up beside Captain Levi. "Levi, the Commander has orders for you and your team to pull back to Sina with Historia and Eren alive at all costs!"

"Oh? Did he leave you in charge of taking care of this bitch?" he asked, nodding toward Eliza. "Well, regardless, we can't leave unless Eren stops fighting, and, is that brat on horseback here to relieve him?"

"That's right, if everything goes as planned. Hange should be waiting for you guys with some spare horses on the outskirts of the village, so the moment that girl transforms, you'll get Eren out of his Titan and retreat."

"And what about the other girl?"

Ines glanced over at her little brother, Achi, and Historia. Eletta was hovering nearby, unsure if she should lend a hand or not. "Take her along with you, the injured will just get in the way. Leave the three others who came here of their own volition to me and my squad."

"Right. I'll leave it to the Special Investigation Squad, and, Ines? Don't let any of them die. We may need them as valuable witnesses if there is ever a trial later."

"I know that, and I'll keep that in mind," Ines responded coldly. She still couldn't bring herself to like this man, and never did see what Petra had seen in him. His eyes, they reminded her of a vulture's, creatures with small beady eyes that liked picking away at dead corpses with no remorse. More devious than a crow. She was about to say something more when his stare stopped her. She didn't need to say anymore, it seemed.

Annie looked over at Fritz, watching each beat of sweat as it dripped from his face onto Achi's torn shirt, and knew that some of them were actually tears. She didn't like to see him suffer like that. She didn't want to see Achi so close to death either. She briefly shifted her gaze to everyone else and took note of Mikasa, not caring about any of the others, then went back to Eliza and Eren atop the rise, seeing that the hut was smashed to pieces, splinters of wood all along the hill, some of the fruits still rolling down and massing at the bottom. Her rage was something she'd always been quick to keep under control, but now, now she let in loose as she got off her horse and sprinted up the rise, biting her thumb the moment she made it to the top, roaring a warcry as she slammed into the two of them and pulled Eren off, then proceeded to grapple with Eliza, who looked thrilled to have a worthy opponent. If anything, something to play with until she got rid of the Coordinate, but Annie wasn't about to let her be all that easy to take down. The side of herself that she hated, she let it run free.

She went for a mid-kick to knock Eliza back but she caught the blow and twisted around as Annie did the same to counter. Placing both hands on the ground, she twirled her body and kicked up with her free leg, swiping Eliza on the cheek, and in response Eliza just smiled. As Annie came up, Eliza swiped her elbow and she was so busy dodging the blow to her face that Eliza scored a direct hit to the other side of her face, causing her to stagger. Before Eliza could try anything else, Annie crouched and swiped her feet, hoping that Eliza would jump out the way, thus giving her enough space to leap up and swing her leg at her neck, but Eliza rushed in and went for a straight right punch, to which Annie countered by sweeping the punch to the side and at the same time doing a straight punch with her own right, hardening her skin just as her fist impacted with Eliza's giant black eye. Eliza didn't cry out as she took it head on, and Annie's attack didn't even break skin.

"Good..." Eliza garbled, pressing her face further into Annie's fist. "But..." The arm that Annie had swept away came back and sunk its claws into her left arm, then tore it off, and Annie broke contact just as Eliza hardened her claws and charged her again. She ducked under a strike then sidestepped from an elbow from the side, slamming into a tree in her haste to evade the other girl in her overbearing Titan form. Holding up Annie's left arm, blood dripping off the muscle and tendons where she'd ripped it off at, Eliza nonchalantly tossed it down the hill, straight toward the everyone still gathered there. Acting fast, Annie leaped into the air and caught it as she twisted her body in the air to avoid falling on Fritz, Eletta, Achi, Jayce, and Ines along with her squad. Captain Levi had already done as ordered and left with the others, Ines having ripped Eren from his Titan. At least, it was only supposed to be the seven of them, but instead there were nine and Annie caught a glimpse of blonde hair. Historia had refused to leave along with Achi! She crashed to the ground, rooting earth and sliding to a halt meters away from the nine of them. Craning up, she saw that Eliza had vanished, guessed that she fled into the woods, and sat waiting. When she didn't reappear, Annie knew that she'd either gone after Eren in her human form or had laid off until the ten of them were thinking everything was relatively safe to attack again. She felt something on her chest and saw Ines standing there, serious as always.

"The Speaking-Type retreated, come on out," she commanded, crossing her arms, and now addressing her squad. "Larrens and Zena, watch the perimeter just in case. Riecka, salvage whatever you can from that hut and bring it down." Without averting her eyes from her squad, the Captain went back to Annie again. "Annie, did she say anything valuable to you during your scuffle?" Annie tried her best to shake her head to say "no" and Ines nodded in understanding. "I see, in any case get out of there, there's no need for your Titan form any longer."

The nape of her neck opening, Annie slowly emerged herself from the knots of muscle and dropped to the ground, sweaty and exhausted. Her vision was blurry and she stumbled as she tried walking over to where Achi was, her left arm steaming. Even though it hadn't been her actual arm that Eliza had tore off, it still affected her human body to a great deal, and she struggled to cope with the needles of pain. Finally reaching her friend, she sank to her knees and stared at her for a long while, Fritz next to her with his head in his hands.

"I couldn't heal the internal injuries!" he sobbed, shaking. Historia's face was hollow and drained of all color. She had no more tears to shed since she'd been doing it nonstop, her reserves all gone, hands uselessly lying in her lap. Annie's eyes were wide and she reached a hand out to touch Achi's face, still warm, her eyes closed. All the blood was gone, and she looked relatively peaceful, sleeping there. She'd been right, Fritz couldn't heal internal wounds, no matter how hard he tried, but her being right this time was the cruelest thing in the world. The tears wouldn't stop...

_"You take Achi with you, you hear? Don't leave her behind."_

_"Alright, father." She'd felt reassurance everytime she'd looked into her hazel eyes back then, even when she'd clumsily stumbled to her, tripping. She couldn't help smiling everytime she'd seen her back then, as well. Achi had been her courage, much as Annie was to her._

_"Promise me you'll come back, alright you two?"_

"Father, Mina, Achi. I've broken my promises one by one," she whispered to herself, clenching a fist. "But that doesn't mean I can't make new promises and see those through to the end." Looking over at Fritz's hunched form, she smiled sadly and drew him closer in an embrace. _And one day, I'll make it up to all of you for all the pain, all the sadness, all the loss you've endured, that I've caused. I'll see it through to the end, you can count on it_. She buried her face into Fritz's shoulder and continued weeping.

"There's no such thing as happiness in this world," Ines said to herself, looking down at the body of Achi Almen and thinking of Petra, of Kalia, and all the other friends she'd lost during her time in the world. No, nobody else was going to die from scrapes of paper, nobody else was going to die from doing nothing in the end, and nobody else was going to die as long as she was leading this operation. She really hoped that Achi had died the way she wanted to, but like Petra, Kalia, and everyone else before her, she knew none of them really got what they wanted in their final moments. Even living their lives the way the wanted to, she honestly thought none of them had achieved that in the end either. Slowly, she was losing her humanity, and she needed to if she wanted to know more about Titans. Even if it meant, in the end, she had to give up everything she's even come to care about. That was her resolve now, forever and always.

"Riecka."

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Prepare the girl's body for burial, then round everyone up as we'll be moving out soon."

As Riecka did as ordered Ines touched her breast pocket and felt her book of flowers, weeping no tears, her fire burning brighter than ever.

/-.-.-.-\

"Do you suppose that her next plan of attack is Eren at the capital?" Hange asked, rubbing her chin.

"She's the type to stop only once her target and everyone that gets in her way is dead, so yes, I would say so." Ines replied.

The two of them were with Commander Erwin, who was still confined to his hospital bed, having just gotten back from Eliza's attack on Eren back at the hut.

"What of Annie Leonhart? Is she still a viable option to use against the Speaking-Type?" the Commander asked. " And Ines, your little brother, Friedrich Brandt, his healing power, can this also be used to our advantage?"

"I believe that it can, that both of them are still usable, though after what's recently happened..."

"We should give them some time to recuperate and get over their pains." Hange finished for her, looking out the window briefly. "Historia and the others too, they look shaken up as well. They won't be of any use like that. To anybody."

"There are no time outs, there are no breaks, we can't afford to wait for her to show up." the Commander Erwin said, his voice rising. "It's obvious that this Eliza knows more about the way Titans, even how the Walls, and perhaps even more about humanity's past, than any of us here. I want everyone to scour any libraries and places of learning within Sina and Rose about the history of the Kings down the line, as it seems that she's connected to them. Levi," he turned his attention to the Special Operations Squad Captain, who was leaning on the wall beside Hange with his arms crossed. "I want you to continue watching over Eren and the other trainees. I'm also putting Friedrich and his group under your watch. Is that understood?"

"I got it," Levi responded bluntly, making his way past Hange and locking eyes briefly with Ines as he left the room, "just don't let anyone else die because of this."

/-.-.-.-\

Eletta sat on the steps leading to the residence where all the trainees involved were being kept in, and stared at the grass swaying this way and that, sighing to herself. "It's so _empty and quiet_ without her around, isn't it?" she said aloud to Annie, Connie, Armin, and Jean, who were sitting down on the other steps.

"Yeah, it always is," Jean replied, thinking of Marco, and everyone else who's died to get them this far. "How many more will it take to see this to the end?" he asked to no one in particular.

"Nobody knows," Armin said, looking up at the sky. "Maybe, as many as it takes to see the Titans wiped out once and for all."

"Nobody else is going to die, I'll make sure of it!" Connie exclaimed, pounding his fist into a pillar next to the first step.

"And what makes you think that you, me, or someone else won't die tomorrow, or the days after that?" Annie said, catching a glare from the shaved headed boy, but she'd meant no ill will by it. "Everyone has to die sometimes, though knowing that doesn't mean it won't hurt any less than it already does. We, the ones that are still living, have to make it up to those who've died and keep going, no matter what we have to face."

"Does this mean you're on our side now?" Jean asked, not expecting much of an answer by the tone.

Annie looked towards the residence, seeing Fritz and Historia chatting quietly with one another, probably reminiscencing about their times with Achi. She focused on his face, his green eyes and that smile still bravely put on his face despite all that's happened recently, and smiled faintly to herself. Memories of Mina and Achi flashed quickly through her mind and her smile became just a bit more noticeable. "I can't say for certain, but I know that, at the very least, we're working toward the same goal from now on..." _Mina. Achi._ _I'll have the courage to keep going, you guys... that's a promise from the heart..._


	26. Just Beginning

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Just Beginning**

_Walls of stone, fifty meters tall and overbearing. The first built, of which, was Sina. The safest of the King was of the utmost importance, and thus, anything that could keep his Majesty save from the harm came first. Around his castle, this new Wall was __built, from__ the __giant __forms of slumbering homunculi, to keep his castle and the innermost lying towns safe from the Titans, which have been a plague on humanity since only the Gods know when. To them, humanity was like cattle that needed to be swiftly filled with disease, made to suffer, and die by the thousands, and even then it didn't sate their hunger. Thus, it was, that this new wall was constructed. __The second Wall was called Rose and it protected the middle class towns, surrounding them in a circle__. __This further separated the rich from the poor.__The third Wall was __Wall Maria, named after the King's younger brother's wife; who, a very righteous and notable figure in her own right as a woman, embedded within the King that even the poor needed protection. _

_ The only offspring the two had conceived in their marriage together, long ago it was, had been named Eliza, and against their wishes and that of the King's, her uncle, she joined the Garrison and quickly rose through the ranks as a valued member to the cause of humanity, though her tenacity of letting her temper get the best of her was a constant problem for her comrades._

_ Her voice was masculine and she acted as if she were just a woman in disguise. This was despite having long brown hair that reached down to the middle of her back and bangs that neatly obscured two dark green eyes, her physique muscular yet still managing to be feminine. Furthermore, none dared disrespect the niece of the King, and thus, they treated her above that of a common soldier. _

_ She was regarded as somewhat of a royal knight, clad in the standard Garrison attire with a few extra accessories. Under her khaki-colored jacket, she wore a doublet that also served as a first layer of defense from injury, stuffed with thinly placed linen to still keep a womanly figure. Atop that was a jerkin with a collar that framed the back and sides of her neck, the front exposed, which helped to stop wind and keep the body warm. It was red in color. Black stockings covered her legs, coming to rest just at the start of her thighs before the waist, where a skirt that was connected to the doublet protruded, also red in color to match the jerkin. _

_ The weaponry given to the soldiers of the Garrison, and that of the military in general, even the newly created Scouting Legion, were not tools effective against Titans. Their purpose was to serve as a comfort and a sign of enforcement for any people spirited enough to go against the King. As a fighting tool, it was rarely used. _

_ Eliza's weapon came straight from the King's personal forge: it had a circular pummel that resembled a mace and a straight metal grip with a guard that partially wrapped around the wielder's hand. The blade was thick and swelled when it came to a point, slightly curved with a back edge. Mainly, it was for tearing and cutting at flesh, but if the wielder was skilled enough, they could also use it to effectively thrust. She wasn't skilled enough yet to be able to thrust the weapon, but she could still cut with a fine precision with all the talent of a protegee._

_ Her main position within the Garrison was overseeing the travelers that passed to and fro between the gates of Shingashina. It was a great responsibility for someone so young as herself, only seventeen. Occasionally, she'd venture outside the safety of the Walls, meeting the Scouting Legion halfway on their return trips home. She'd ask about the Titans; if they've encountered any or just mapped the surrounding area. It was always the latter, never the former._

_ Titans haven't been spotted for a long time, which was one of the reasons they got the Walls built so quickly, and, secretly, Eliza hoped they'd appear at least once in her lifetime. Just so she could say she saw one in the flesh._

_ Walking through the half deserted streets of Shingashina, the sun setting wearily behind her, Eliza stared up at the belltower that hadn't been used in awhile, knowing that the bell at the very top was caked in dust. At her side, the young boy Heath stared at the sword on her hip, awed by its craftsmanship. She noticed his big brown eyes out the corner of her eye and reached over to pat him on the head – never taking her eyes off the belltower. _

_ "Someday, you'll be able to have on these too," she told the boy, smiling. She'd tried not to mingle with the townspeople too often, but the kids all seemed to gravitate towards her no matter the time of day. It irked her, but she knew she couldn't raise her voice to mere children and usually let them follow her until they either lost interest and went to do something else just as meaningless or she gently shooed them. Heath though, this boy was different. He was an odd case; the only one to stick with her no matter what. She couldn't deny that she'd grow used to it, and, surprising, a bit fond of the boy. His bowl-cut brown hair and those big brown eyes, missing two teeth in the bottom row, that gaunt when he walks. Yes, she was a bit fond of him now, certainly. _

_ "You think?" he answered, glancing at his small hands as if imagining himself holding her sword, its imaginary weight pulling him down as he tripped over and fell on his face. Shaking himself free of dirt and whatever else stuck to the ground, he looked up at her and blinked. "It's heavy."_

_ She chuckled. "Are you alright, Munsell?" she asked as the boy further dusted himself off and stood again, smiling his imperfect smile. _

_ "A-ok!" he exclaimed, clumsily performing the military's universal salute, the knuckles of his right fist over where his heart would be. Then: "Say, why'd you join the Garrison instead of the Scouting Legion?"_

_ The question caught her off guard and she turned to look down at him, her eyes finally off the belltower. "Why? I guess because it's because of my parents. I did it so they wouldn't have to worry about me risking my life outside the Walls, safe and sound inside of them instead." _

_ "But, you're always mumbling to yourself; "why do I have to babysit this place", "what's the deal with these brats", "what happened to the members that went out, they haven't come back yet". It sounds like you want to be a part of the Scouting Legion instead, Eli." Heath had given her the nickname "Eli", which he'd been using since he first met her, despite her instructions to use her full name. His face lit up with a passion and he clenched his fists, shaking them in front of himself. "Well, I'm going to join them when I get older! You'll see!" He pointed a finger at her. "And when I do, I want you to be the Commander! I want you to be there when I finally become a member!"_

_ The Commander? "Heath, I can't just up and leave the Garrison for the Scouting Legion," Eliza replied in an annoyed tone. Obviously, the boy still irritated her even though she got along with him more than the others. They were all the same, criticizing and expecting things from her that she didn't want to be expected of. "By the time you've graduated, and I had joined the Scouting Legion before then, there's a chance I'd already be dead. Then, there would be no sight of me at your ceremony, your induction, and least of all me being present as the Commander."_

_ "You're just scared of going against your family!"_

_ "If my father and mother saw that I had left the safety of the Walls for the outside world, they'd have a heart-attack in unison. I don't want them to die abruptly at their ages, so-"_

_ "You're scared of the Titans, you're scared of the King, and his warnings! You're a coward, Eli!"_

_ Eliza yanked on his ear. "Who's a coward, you brat?!" _

_ "Admit it! You're just a scaredy-cat and that's all you'll ever be unless you join the Scouting Legion and stop being one! When you do, I want you to be the Commander when I graduate, Eli!"_

_ "Wha-! You... want me to join that badly, huh?" Even calling me names, you little bastard. "If I do join the Scouting Legion, there is a chance that I won't be there for you in the future, can you accept that fact?"_

_ "I already have, Eli!" Heath exclaimed, tears in his eyes and he hugged her legs, to which she kicked him off. "I don't want to see you so sad, thinking about joining and not joining!"_

_ Sighing, Eliza shook her head and ruffled his bowl-cut, messing it up. "I'll think about it, alright? Just stop crying, will you? I thought you said you were going to join the Legion and they don't accept crybabies!"_

_ Sniffling, Heath wiped his nose and spread whatever dripped out of it onto his plain shirt. "I-I'm not a crybaby!"_

_ "Right, I'll take your word for it then," Eliza said, rolling her eyes as she went back to looking up at the belltower. The Scouting Legion, huh? She wasn't against the idea of quitting the Garrison, and the prospect of potentially coming face to face with a Titan was right up her alley, yet she didn't want to upset her parents. Though, like Heath pointed out, she also couldn't live in their shadow forever, and no, she wasn't a coward; she just didn't want to cause them worry. Yes, that was it. She wasn't a coward, not at all..._

_ "__Are you sure you want to do this, Eliza?" The King asked, dismissing his aide with a wave of his hand._

_ Standing straight, watching his hands clasp behind his back, his white beard that reached down to his neck, and his once blue eyes, Eliza answered her uncle almost immediately: "Yes, it's what I want most, even if my parents disapprove. I think I would do better in the field than stuck directing traffic within the Walls."_

_ "Very well, I'll see your transfer goes smoothly. But, I will warn you: your father may not protest as much, but your mother will indefinitely. I don't want to see my younger brother's family torn into two by this rash decision of yours, which means you'll be responsible only for yourself for anything that may arise from it."_

_ "Understood, uncle." Eliza went to one knee then hastily got back to her feet and turned on her heel to leave as her uncle dismissed her now, calling back his aide as he did so._

_ Waking through the courtyard of the King's Castle within the heart of Wall Sina, Eliza looked up at the sky overhead, at the clouds and flocks of birds, and smiled to herself._

/-.-.-.-\

"Commander Erwin, we've managed to dig up old documents from the King's archives and, after narrowing down the sources, we've come up with a number of incidents involving Eliza Garrot. Before you ask; yes, they've been dated and explained in detail in the reports. It seems that all of the documents we have date back a century ago, at the least."

"When the Walls were first built, you mean," Erwin pointed out, looking from Hange to the stump that was now his right arm for a second. "Continue."

"Around that time, it appears that Eliza was active in both the Garrison and the Scouting Legion. There are notes of praise for her when she was with the Garrison, until she abruptly joined the Scouting Legion against her parent's wishes, and get this Erwin: she was the niece of the King that ruled back then. She's this current King's ancestor."

Appearing disinterested in that last bit of information, Erwin rubbed his chin for a moment in thought. "These... incidents... did these happen after she joined up with the Scouting Legion back then? What was the first one recorded? Did it have anything to do with the Titans?"

"No, it didn't. Unlike the Garrison, the Scouting Legion even back then treated everyone on equal footing, and that went for the King's relatives. Furthermore, she was a very hot-tempered and brutal fighter, so she'd often get into insignificant scuffles with the other members. The first real incident, one involving the Titans like you asked, happened a year or two after. Have you heard of the 'Red-Field Massacre'?" Hange smiled, knowing that the Commander knew almost everything there was to know about the Legion's past and wasn't surprised when he nodded in response.

"Yes, I've heard of it. Back then, they thought that if someone encountered a Titan outside the Walls, which was rare in itself, they'd automatically be thought be a carrier of diseases, since they didn't know at the time if Titans carried them or not. The Red-Field Massacre occurred when one of the members of the Legion didn't want any of the supposed 'infected' to step foot back into the city, and he killed nearly everyone person in his unit because of this, since they'd just gotten back from spotting one. Of course, he himself was considered diseased as well, but nobody else knew that and he went back to the Wall unquestioned; besides the obvious. Are you telling me that Eliza Garrot was the one who did this?"

"And also, what was written in the reports is false. The reason for her killing spree back then was actually for something entirely different than the mere scare of potential disease." Coming closer to his ear so nobody else in the Inner District could potentially eavesdrop, she continued with in a whisper: "_Titan worship_."

Commander Erwin's eyes went wide and then regained his composure almost instantly. "And how long until the trial?" he asked, staring over at Eren's group along with Captains Ines and Levi. He made a quick head count then started up at the Inner District's courthouse, where the King himself was to precede over the their fates and judge them fairly for the sake of humanity. He was sure that the girl was going to attack while it was still in session.

Hange was about to answer when bells started ringing through the Inner District, starting the trial.

"Keep your eyes and ears open," he advised her, moving to be the first one inside. A smile was on his lips as he strode past his men and walked through the courthouse doors, ready to end the girl's game once and for all.


End file.
